


The Girl with no Voice

by TippierCoffee



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Adopted!Will, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cinderella, Cinderella - Freeform, Crown Prince!Nico, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Slow Build, abusive family relations, fairytale AU, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-04-06 11:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 42,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14055753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TippierCoffee/pseuds/TippierCoffee
Summary: Will Solace was orphaned at a young age, and Nico di Angelo is the future King. A Cinderella-inspired AU.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.  
> WARNING: As this is a Cinderella-inspired AU, there will be depictions of abuse, both verbal, mental/emotional, and physical.

Will Solace counted his blessings.

He had a roof over his head, and a bed to sleep in at night—however torn-up that bed was. He had ragged clothes on his body, but clothes nonetheless, and tread bare shoes where the soles were just about ready to come unstuck. He had food to eat, even though it was only left-over scraps, and they were always cold, some of them half-chewed and kind of disgusting. Still, he counted his blessings.

Will Solace was probably an optimist, at some point or another, and he clung onto the feeling of positivity that refused to die within his heart. He clung onto memories, faded and broken, of a time where he had parents who tried for him, and read to him, and loved him.

Though he remembered they had lived in a collective with about two-hundred other people, because they could afford no house of their own, and though he hardly ate at all because there was too little food to go around, he remembered being happy. Maybe he was happy still, in some sick, twisted way. Or maybe, he had simply accepted how his world was now and pretended to be. It was too easy to break if he focused on the bad things, and so, Will Solace focused on the few good things in his life.

The horses in the barn who listened to him crying in secret, and nuzzled him with their soft muzzles, nipping at his hair and ears. The hens and chicks chirping to him and letting him hold them from time to other, and the geese who probably didn't play tag with him, but he pretended they did anyway.

If Will focused on the good things, it helped him stay alive. Cleared his mind. Stopped him from breaking down every night, even though he might really want to.

But Will Solace counted his blessings.

* * *

Nico di Angelo, on the other hand, was a Crown Prince. He wasn't meant to be, as there had been someone older before him. A sister who ran from the palace when Nico was only ten, and two years later, they all decided former Crown Princess Bianca di Angelo was dead. Nico knew that wasn't true. It couldn't be. Bianca was strong and intelligent.

Good with a bow and arrows. A tracker and an adventurer. She knew her animals, and she knew her plants.  
If anyone could survive in the wilderness, it would be her. So every night, on the full moon, when the sky was bright and the stars were high, Nico di Angelo looked at the sky and pretended Bianca did too. That in that moment, they shared something yet again. Something only the two of them shared, and no one else.

Now, at age sixteen, Crown Prince to take the throne, his young cousin Hazel Levesque turned sister after her parents died to poison, Nico still looked at the sky when the moon was high and the night was bright, listening to the wind rustling the grass and leaves. He still looked at the night sky with Bianca, wishing her a good night and a good life.

He wondered what Bianca would think of the parties to be held next month. The three days Nico had to choose a bachelorette for his Queen-to-be. She would probably be furious and reclaim her crown so Nico could live and be happy. But, being the future King apparently required some sacrifices. Like his true happiness for the good of the people and the good of the Kingdom.

* * *

So, you see, maybe, if the stars had aligned differently, and life had handed them another deck of cards, these two strangers from vastly different backgrounds might not have met. Might never had known the other existed.

Maybe, Will Solace would live in a small, crumbling house with his parents, working as a shoe-shiner to help earn money for the family, and snuggle close to his parents at night while they told him stories and showed him love.

Maybe, Nico di Angelo would tease Bianca's husband-to-be, and be her flower boy, her right hand, her best friend. Maybe, he would be able to sneak off with one of the other boys and steal forbidden kisses in the dark nights, and be truly, truly happy because he knew genuine love.

But life had a way of shaping itself around you without your permission, and so, Will Solace found himself an orphaned kid who got adopted from a worker's house by a vicious widow with twin daughters, and Nico di Angelo found himself heir to the throne, forced to wed a woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	2. Routine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Will Solace woke before the sun fully broke the horizon. The sky was painted violet and flaming pink. Birds chirped in the distance, and dew from the night’s rain still clung to branches and leaves.

It was five thirty in the morning, and Will stretched his body. His muscles ached in that same dull way they always did—a slight buzz he’d grown so used to he hardly noticed it anymore—and his bones made popping noises. He sat up, cracked his neck, and let out a large yawn, staring at his roof-window. Droplets of rain still sat on the glass, thin and glittery. Will smiled at the sight.

 _Drops of rain hold tiny worlds_ , his mother had said once.

That was a long time ago, though, and he doubted the voice he heard in his head when he thought of her, was actually hers.

He rolled out of his bed, the floor cold beneath his feet. He lived in the crammed attic, and had grown quite a bit since he first moved in at the age of ten. The ceiling was now so low he had to crane his neck a bit to the side in order to stand, which also meant he couldn’t do a full body stretch in this room.

Will moved to the small dresser drawer he had, showed into the opposite wall of the worn, damp mattress he slept on at night—the one he called a bed. He got dressed in his torn trousers, grey and full of dirt, and his worn T-shirt which might once have been white or beige, but Will honestly wasn’t sure.

He opened the top window to let air into the stale room, and got in a few droplets as well, adding to the already damaged, creaking floor. One of these days it was going to crumble below him.

The house he lived in was a grand one. Two floors, seven separate rooms, and the attic. Two rooms were placed on the top floor, five on the bottom. There was a large field behind the house, and a lush garden in front of it. It was a cream-coloured building, simple walls and high marble pillars, a dark roof to top it off.

In the two rooms on the second floor, his step mom and step sisters resided. Each room was spacious, Will knew from the times he’d been in them. No mucky smell, room enough to prance and stretch, luxurious furniture. On the bottom floor they had a large kitchen, which Will was grateful for, a living room with a fire place, a grand library that no one ever used—so why they had it Will didn’t know—his step mom’s office, and a music room.

Will put on his torn slippers and went to the latch, lowering the latter as quietly as possible. He stepped down onto the second floor, and walked down the narrow hallways with the low lights, stepping extra lightly when he passed the other’s rooms. Autumn snored loudly, as per usual, and Will rolled his eyes. How the others managed to sleep with her chain-saw-snoring he would never understand.

He went down the stairs to the ground floor, and went straight for the glass door to the area behind the house. There, he put on his outdoor shoes, if they could be called shoes anymore, and stepped outside, grass peeking through to his feet through holes in the heels.

It was all routine by now. Open up the top doors to the horses’ barn and say good morning to all four horses. He spent a little extra time with Chastity because she was his favourite, but the two of them never let the other three know.

He went in the chicken coop, chased out the chickens, cleaned out dirty hay, and picked up fresh eggs. Eggs into the kitchen, then get the wheelbarrow. Dirty hay into the wheelbarrow, wheelbarrow to the stables. He let the horses out on their outdoor area, they whinnied in joy — at least he though it was joy.

He watched them for a while with a fond smile on his face, calm setting over him.

 _How wonderful it must be to be free_ , he thought.

Will shook his head, blond locks teasing the top of his lids, and got to work. He cleaned out the dirty hay from the stables, wheeled the wheelbarrow to the decompose pile, and wheeled new, fresh hay to the horses and hens.

By the time he was done, he was already sweating. June’s warm weather certainly didn’t help. It was ten past six when he’d cleaned up enough to start breakfast, and ten to seven when it was done.

Wearing his slippers once more, he let his feet carry him back up stairs to his step mom’s room. He’d lived here long enough to know routine and rules by now. First, he had to wake his step mom, then, feed her stupid cat who seemed to loathe him, and then he could wake up his sisters. They always made it down at least five minutes later than they were supposed to, on purpose, so their mom would have an excuse to reprimand Will with something bizarre.

Will knocked on her door four times. Light enough so she wouldn’t think he was being aggressive or rude, but hard enough so she could hear it.

She didn’t answer him. She never did on the first series of four knocks. So he knocked once more, then once again, before he entered.

Her room was painted a light blue, curtains draped around her large, comfortable-looking bed. She lay on piles and piles of soft silken pillows, her fat, lazy cat snoring in its basked covered with silken blankets. Even the cat had a better bed than Will, but Will knew much better than to complain.

He stepped over to her side, her raven hair a mess around her ageing face. There were once streaks of grey in it, then she had it dyed. She was obsessed with youth, so she concealed any possible sign of ageing. Make-up, hair dyes, odd diets, corsets which were probably too small for her—not to mention bad for her bones. It was all part of her obsession, and Will never commented negatively on it. He knew better than that.

“Lilith?” he checked his hands were clean before he shook her gently. “Lilith?”

She opened her eyes and groaned at him. “What do you want this time, you filthy boy?”

“I just want to inform you, My Lady, it is ten to seven, and breakfast is ready downstairs. I made sure to make My Lady’s favourite egg salad bowl, as your new diet suggests.”

She considered him for a moment, her dark eyes cold and judging. “Good to hear you have some intelligence in that head of yours, Boy. Now go wake your sisters.”

“Yes, My Lady,” Will bowed to her, for good measure. “What about the cat?”

“The what?” her eyes grew colder still, a disgusted sneer crossing her face.

“What I meant to say was, what about Mr. Charles, My Lady?”

“Let him sleep in today. Now go wake your sisters, you incompetent fool!” Will bowed his head to her again, and headed down the hall.

This was the part he loathed every morning, but on the bright side, he got to exercise trying to get his sisters to cooperate with him. He knocked on their door, the same way he’d knocked on Lilith’s.

“Summer? Autumn?” he spoke as he entered the room. They made no sound, and did not stir. He walked to he grand window and pulled their curtains, letting in the summer sun. “It’s time to wake up now. Breakfast is ready downstairs.”

Summer let out a shriek and threw a pillow after him. He stepped back and ended by Autumn’s bed, looking down at her. Both sisters had the same, cold, dark eyes as their mother, and the same raven hair. Tar against pale skin.

“Good morning, Autumn,” he tried a friendly smile, stepping back. “It’s time to get up. Breakfast is ready downstairs.”

“See if I care, Orphan,” she sneered.

This made Summer laugh out loud. “You mean unlovable orphan.”

Both girls laughed, and Will lowered his head, breathing in through his nose.

He knew better. He knew the truth. He knew he was an orphan only because his parents loved him. They’d given him up with great hopes. If they knew where their good intentions had ended him… no. They would never know, he’d make sure.

“Please,” he looked from one sister to the other. “Would it kill you to be nice to me just once?”

“Let’s see,” Autumn put a finger to her chin, pretending to ponder. “Yes,” and with that she slumped back in bed.

Will guided his breath deep into his stomach, keeping up a pleasant face for them. Summer had shut her eyes tight in protest, and Autumn sat herself comfortably against the head of her bead, looking at him with cruel mischief in her eyes.

“Go on,” Autumn said. “You’re supposed to wake us, aren’t you?”

Will gave her a smile and went over to Summer, but as soon as he got close enough, she threw everything in proximity towards him. Pillows, empty make-up cases, silver jewellery, a pot he had to catch so it wouldn’t break, and a nail file. Autumn joined soon after, both girls laughing in glee as Will had to dodge objects while still trying to get them to cooperate with him.

“Please,” he tried. “I made your favourite today. Please get dressed and go downstairs. Isn’t today music day as well?”

“Please,” Summer mimicked him, getting up to poke him in the chest as she spoke. “Don’t even try with me, Orphan. You’re disgusting. I bet you burnt the food or something.”

“I promise I didn’t.”

“I promised I didn’t. Shut up,” she slapped him across the face. “I didn’t ask for your opinion. Now scram!” she all but threw him out of their room, both of them laughing hysterically as his back colliding with the wall. His step mother went out into the hallway.

She looked at him with a sneer, as though he’d told her the best morbid joke she’d ever heard. “I expect them to be down ten past seven, as usual, Will. Do not disappoint me this time.”

“Yes, My Lady. I won’t.”

“I won’t get my hopes up,” she scoffed. “You’re incompetent, after all.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

* * *

Will wasn’t sure how he got any of the twins convinced to go downstairs for breakfast, but somehow he did. They got dressed, had him comb their hair and put it up—Summer wanted a high bun, Autumn wanted French braids—and made it to breakfast a whole ten minutes late.

Well, great, Will thought. This would put him behind schedule; again.

“Well, well, well,” Lilith sang when they joined the table, an evil gleam in her eyes. “Look at that. The incompetent, brain-dead orphan finally got my daughters down for breakfast. But, my, my, will you look at the time? It says twenty past seven, not ten past seven. I thought you said you’d get them down on time, Bastard?”

“I know, My Lady, but—”

“But?” she stood up, Summer and Autumn laughing behind their hands as they ate their breakfast. “No but’s, you incompetent fool. We said on time. You specifically promised me, and you failed. _Again_. I shouldn’t be surprised by this point that you can do nothing right. Can’t think for yourself either, can you, you brain-dead retard. I should hand you over to a place for the mentally retarded, you’d fit in perfectly there. Can’t even do single tasks. Disgrace.”

“Ew!” Autumn whined. “Ma! My breakfast is cold.”

Lilith narrowed her eyes at Will, as if it was his fault. It wasn’t. If Autumn and Summer had gotten out of bed and dressed right away, their breakfast wouldn’t be cold. This wasn’t fair! Then again, when was it ever?

“Her breakfast is cold, Will.”

“I—” Will decided to defend himself. “If they’d just gotten out of bed when I asked them nicely, their breakfast wouldn’t be cold. It’s their own fault for not getting up in time!”

Lilith’s eyes hardened even more—if that was possible—and Will knew at that point he had overstepped his boundaries. She stood up, a storm raging in her eyes, her face contorted with rage. She was a typhoon, meant to destroy and tear things up at their roots, and she came straight for Will and took his arm in an iron grip, her long fingernails digging into his skin and drawing blood. It stung like nothing else, but Will wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He never would.

She threw him to the floor, and he only just got to put his hands in front of him to protect himself, and before he knew of it, Lilith pulled him through the kitchen-dining room by his hair, to that one room below the stairs that was hardly a room at all.

Will wanted to squirm, he really did, but that’d just make it hurt even more. Autumn and Summer followed behind him, yelling in glee and sing-song-voices.  
“He’s going to the naughty-room, he’s going to the naughty-room.”

There was a click, and a creak, as the small door was pulled open, and then Lilith threw Will into the room below the stairs.

Dark, no air, no space. He curled into a ball to protect himself from the door slamming in his face. He hardly fit in here anymore, and the door got locked from the outside.  
Only when the laughter and insults ceased, leaving silence in their place, Will allow himself to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	3. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Nico di Angelo looked into the mirror, admiring the black tailcoat with the silver linings. He only wore it about once a year, and made sure the seamstresses sew extra fabric to it for every year he grew. They were good seamstresses, and the coat looked like it was made to fit with his black, silken, button-up shirt, and his black trousers. He let out a sigh, putting on his newly-polished, black, buckle shoes—silver buckle. He breath in yet again, trying not to feel too sad.

Sure, he hadn’t known Uncle Pluto that well, or aunt Marie, but he still felt a sting in his chest thinking they were dead. And Hazel needed him. Especially today.

He exited his room and walked the grand halls, marble thudding below his shoes. The walls were plastered with paintings of generations who had come before them. They posed in poses they must have found majestic at the time. Some in their bedroom, in their best clothes, in front of a made bed and their chest held high, a hand on their chest. Some of them sat in one of the many sitting rooms, their families around them in relaxed, yet dignified poses. And, of course, the ones on white stallions. Nico scoffed at the paintings, humour coursing through him. This pointless extravaganza never ceased to amuse him.

He kept pacing the halls, hands behind his back, looking as important as he supposedly were. Guards nodded as he passed them by, and maids curtsied. He nodded in return, making sure they knew how important he found each of them. He wandered down the spiralled stairs, down to the grand foyer at the very bottom, and kept pacing until he made it to the double doors which a couple of servants opened for him while giving curt nods. He nodded back, already dizzy from how much he’d done that in such a short span of time.

In the outside area, he went the long way around, over the pale stone bridge crossing the lush pond, to the very outskirts of the outside area. He walked beyond the oaks, casting shadows onto the grass, until he made it to a large iron fence, gleaming in the sun. It had another entrance along the road, somewhere far on the other side, for the public to enter through. This entrance, however, was guarded by tall, buff men who even made Nico shiver.

He gave them a nod and opened the fence, walking into the Royal Family gave yard. White gravel stone beneath him, low bushes, and lush flowers.

Hazel wasn’t hard to find. Unlike Nico, she’d brought guards with her, and Nico knew he should have done the same—knew some of the staff he passed should have asked him when they saw he was headed out. She sat in front of two high-polished, grey, head stones with fine, golden engravings. After the poison incident, someone had set fire to the inside of the castle Hazel called her home, and as a result, her parents’ bodies were never retrieved. This was all she had left.

Nico knelt next to Hazel without a word, touching her shoulder lightly to let her know he was there if she needed to say anything. And if she didn’t, he was still there. A presence to help her through the always hard anniversary of Pluto and Marie’s deaths.

It was a nice day, sun shining above, almost-invisible winds tugging at the smaller branches of the grand oaks. Nico wondered what an ordinary-him would have done today. Maybe go on a picnic with his parents and sister. He closed his eyes, picturing it.

Bianca would be wearing a short dress, dark green and easy to move in, a summer hat with some kind of ribbon on her head. She’d probably discard the hat as soon as possible to be able to climb the trees around her, her sandals going dirty, her dress tearing. Nico would chase her around like a shadow, join in her game. Maybe they would play with wooden swords while Hades and Maria sat on a checkered blanket, watching them with amused smiles, rolling their eyes at Bianca’s torn dress, and Nico’s shredded trousers.

“It’s two years today,” Hazel’s voice broke his thoughts and the silence. “We had a minor argument before. Something about the dress I needed to wear for that night’s dinner.”

Nico hummed, putting his hand around her shoulder and squeezing it tight. Even if he weren’t good with words, he hoped the action conveyed enough emotion.

 _I know. Don’t be scared to cry. I’m here_.

Hazel leaned in to his touch, her head falling on his shoulders, her curly cinnamon-coloured hair teasing his nostrils. It smelled like lavender.

“It won’t do you any good to think about the negative things,” Nico said, kindness to his voice. “I know it’s difficult, as your last memory of them isn’t a particularly good one, but there must have been moments before it. Moments they made you happy.”

Hazel looked at him, her golden eyes glassy with tears, then she let out a strangled chuckle and smiled weakly. “I had a lot of good memories with my parents, Nico.”

“I know you did,” he smiled, tugging her a little closer. Into his chest. As if he could protect her from the sadness like that.

They must look like quite the pair. Both dressed in black, one pale olive-skinned, one dark as the earth below them, holding each other close by three tomb stones.

“They once let me play tag with the staff throughout the castle,” Hazel sniffed. “I twisted my ankle just before bedtime because I’d gotten too excited, then I got crutches and got spoilt,” she let out a weak laugh. “Ice cream for dessert for a whole week.”

Nico chuckled, stroking her shoulder with a firm hand. “I’m sure that was fun.”

“How are you doing, Nico?”

Nico looked at her puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“This December, it will be four years,” she nodded to a group of headstones.

One for Nico’s mother, whose corpse had probably rotted away already below the ground, and one for Bianca. Two other headstones stood ready for his father and himself, which, to be honest, was a bit morbid in Nico’s opinion.

“Yeah. She isn’t dead, though.”

Hazel looked at him with sad eyes. “You can’t keep denying, Nico.”

“I’m not—”

“Oh, come on. From what you’ve told me of her, she doesn’t sound like the kind of person who wouldn’t at least give her brother a sign she was alive in four years. She would tell you. You were close, from what I can tell from your stories.”

Nico clenched his jaw, and tried to not sound too bitter. “You don’t know what she would have done. You never got to know her.”

“I know I never did, Nico, but…” she chewed her lips.

“But what?”

“You must admit, it’s a bit odd she hasn’t at least contacted you somehow, seeing as you were so close.”

Nico was just about to respond Bianca hadn’t contacted him because she didn’t want to be caught or held in the castle against her will, but he only got to open his mouth when Persephone stepped up to them. She looked beautiful and imposing as always. Tall and slender with sharp facial features, her skin golden and pale at the same time, eyes moss green—or deep green, depending on her mood.

She looked at Nico with those sharp eyes. “Your father asks for you. Immediately.”

Nico got confused for a moment, but he didn’t want to discuss with Persephone. Sure, she was kind and gentle, but she also knew how to make a man scared to even _think_ about messing with her.

“Very well,” Nico responded, getting up from his spot as he gave Hazel’s shoulder a last squeeze. “Sorry we got derailed, Hazel. I’ll think about what you said. Remember: You can always come if you need me for anything.”

“I know,” she smiled.

* * *

“Sit down, Nico.”

Those were the first words out of Hades the moment Nico entered. No _Hello_ , or _How are you doing_ , or _How is Hazel holding up_.

“Hello to you too, Father,” he sat next to Hades. “I’m fine, by the way, and Hazel is doing okay, things taken into consideration.”

Hades hummed absentmindedly, looking some papers over. “Good to know. However, we have more important matters pressing right now.”

“More important than the second anniversary of your brother’s death?”

Hades looked up, guild and confusion crossing his face. “Oh, yeah, that’s today. How is Hazel doing?”

“I just told you. She’s doing okay.”

“Good. I’ll sit with her later, for now, you and I need to talk about something important.”

Nico sat at attention. “I’m listening.”

“In the middle of July we will host a three-day party for you, so you can choose a bachelorette.”

“I thought we agreed to wait till I turned eighteen?” Nico exclaimed.

“Unfortunately, we cannot wait that long. My doctor told me today my health is quite bad, and as such, I should prepare you for the throne earlier than expected. Rather safe than sorry.”

Nico let out a sigh. “Father. I am really not prepared for any of that yet. I’m sixteen!”

“I know. But as future King it’s your duty. I’m sorry.”

Nico let out a breath and composed himself. “Fine. Mid-July. That’s about a month away. I suppose I can do that. On one condition.”

Hades looked up, his eyes flashing with something dangerous. “And that condition would be?”

“I wish to invite any young female from this kingdom aged between sixteen to eighteen, and her family, for the party.”

“Absolutely not!” Hades hit his fist against the armrest of his throne. “You may only choose other women of royal blood.”

“Oh, come on, Father!” Nico threw his hands up. “The only royalty who’s near my age is Reyna, and she’s still two years my senior. We might as well just skip the party and go straight to arranging the marriage.”

His father groaned, that dangerous tint flashing clearer in his eyes. “Nico—”

“If we’re going to have a party, can we at least pretend I have some kind of choice here? We can have the royals come hours in advance to mingle before the commoners, but if there’s a party for me to choose, at least present other options than Reyna.”

His father didn’t look pleased with it. Then again, Hades hardly ever looked pleased. He often worried about something or other, and, since he was a perfectionist, he almost always had _something_ to complain about, or be slightly displeased about. Still, his body and jaw were set so tight, his eyes so angry, Nico knew, Hades knew he had no choice. Especially if he wanted a party to make sure the other Kingdoms wouldn’t get offended, or claim the marriage between Nico and Reyna had been arranged years in advance.

Hades let out a loud sigh and a groan. Yeah. He definitely knew he couldn’t say no to Nico now.

“Fine. But at least choose someone from a castle. I don’t care if it’s a guard or whatever, as long as it’s not a commoner. They will never understand Royal politics.”

Nico snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. I’ll make sure to choose Reyna after I mingled for an acceptable amount of time, or whatever. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have an announcement made.”

“Do that. I shall go make sure Hazel is doing all right and pay some respect to my brother.”

Nico gave a nod and a bow before turning on his heel and walking towards the library with steady steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	4. Unlovable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

The letter came at ten that morning.

Will was outside hanging clothes to dry after a wash. It had been a relatively good day today. The twins hadn’t had the energy or care to tease Will and be late for breakfast, the geese had stayed away most of the day and not bothered the chicks and hens, and the horses ran happily in their outdoor area. Sure, Will still had to put up with being called names and told he was unlovable, and the words still stung, but today was one of the better days. Will Solace counted his blessings.

Mail days were his favourites. Or, scratch that. The mailman, Hermes, was his favourite. He was kind, probably in his mid-forties, extremely chatty, and always carried around various treats for animals and people alike. Where Hermes kept all his treats, Will didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. And though Hermes was a bit floaty, and seemed absent-minded, he listened and gave Will encouragement. It wasn’t exactly pity, Will decided. Hermes’ eyes never turned that exact shade of sorry for it to be. But it was nice, having a human being Will could talk to sometimes—even if Hermes only caught half of it due to his absent mind.

“Good morning, Will,” Hermes gave a lazy smile. “Busy today?”

“I’m busy every day, Hermes. You know that,” Will returned his smile and dusted off his trousers. “Got anything good for us this time?”

“Hmm…” Hermes dug around in his postal satchel and presented three letters in total. He flipped through them and looked at Will, sorrow crossing his eyes for a millisecond.

“House bills and beauty bills.”

Will gave a frustrated sigh and rand his hands through his hair. That would be the end of his good day. “What about the third one?”

“A letter from the King himself.”

“What, really?” Will went to Hermes’ side peering curiously at the envelope. A faded yellow with an official stamp. “Wow.”

“Indeed,” Hermes agreed, voice floaty, spacing out. “This letter is making its rounds throughout the Kingdom. Something about a party for our Crown Prince Nico di Angelo.”

“What, like, a birthday party?” Will took the envelope in his hands and turned it carefully. “Didn’t he turn sixteen this January?”

Hermes shrugged. “They usually don’t invite commoners to the castle. I wonder what this is about.”

Will knew he probably should wait till he came in. Lilith would reprimand him for opening a letter outside the house. Still, his curiosity piqued and he licked his lips, swallowing thick spit. His hands trembled as he looked the stamp over again. An upside-down cross cupping a ball; except, the cup didn’t touch the ball.

“I could open it and let you know what it says,” Will offered.

That caught Hermes’ attention. He stood straighter, his eyes flashing hungry, his usually slumped-over stature replaced. Attentiveness looked odd on him when Will wasn’t used to it, and it egged him on to complete his dangerous task.

He wedged his fingers below the letter’s flap, and carefully tore it open.

The hand writing was neat, cursive, well formulated. Will let his eyes glide over the text, not reading but simply admiring the letters, before letting them find the top again. He read out loud.

“Dear Subject of Hades’ Kingdom. It is my utmost pleasure to announce the bachelorette party of my son, Crown Prince Nico di Angelo. As I have been told my health is poor, we will host this party two years before anticipated. The party will take place mid-July, from Friday at 6 pm, to Sunday at 2 am. All bachelorettes between the ages 16 to 18, along with their families, are invited to this marvellous extravaganza. Simply show up with the letter in hand.

“Best wishes, King Hades.”

Will’s heart hammered in his chest, and he was quite sure Hermes stopped breathing beside him. A party to choose a bachelorette for the Crown Prince?

“Well,” Hermes said, closing his post satchel. “I’ll have to make sure my daughters don’t see that. Being a Queen is hard, demanding work.”

“They’ve got to be joking, though?” Will questioned. “I mean, come on. They have _never_ reached out to commoners before. Why now?”

Hermes gave a shrug and turned on his heel, giving Will a quick wave before sitting back on his bicycle, and off he went, leaving Will alone with the letter in hand.

 _This is so strange_.

* * *

There had been a lot of arguing once Will finally made it inside with the letters. Not only did his step mother blame the high house bills—and her beauty bills, somehow—on Will, but he also got a beating once they found out he’d read the invitation by himself outside. Well. The twins had been bouncing in joy for a while, and _then_ beat him.

From then on, the workload had increased. All of a sudden, Will had to tag along to stores for the best fabrics, and take down measures, and look at designs with his sisters so he could sew their dresses, and make the house sparky clean, and still maintain his other chores on top of everything.

The twins still got down late for almost every breakfast, and Will was reprimanded with beatings and verbal assault. Broken China he had to pick up with his bare hands, just to be scolded for bleeding on the floor, and have his face stuffed into the ashes of the fireplace.

He got the task of bathing and grooming Mr. Charles, slaughtering the older hens, brushing and trimming the horses, and cleaning their hooves, plus building a presentable carriage. It was cheaper to force Will to work for hours, rather than buy something, after all. But Will did it. Without complaining.

He worked from five thirty in the morning, as per usual, but stayed awake well past three thirty. He got little sleep, and the signs started showing.

There were rings under his eyes, he often trembled, sometimes he got dizzy and disoriented, but he still kept working.

When the exact date of the party got announced, Will sucked it all up. He didn’t care he wasn’t a bachelorette, but a party, at a castle? He was thrilled. He’d never done such a thing. Mingling with people, enjoying simple luxuries, maybe dancing with whoever. It didn’t matter.

He counted the days, and he kept up his spirit. Even after getting locked in the naughty-room for three and half hours after fainting, revoked of dinner privileges, he kept going. Counting down the days.

His spirit was unbreakable. Even when the sisters tore up their dresses, which he’d worked so hard on, making them exactly like the sisters’ designs, he didn’t complain. He went with them to town, and got new fabrics, and started over. Even when the twins ‘accidentally’ destroyed his horse carriage, he started over.

They spread ashes on the floor, and set fire to the barn, and Will had to repair it all, clean it all, fix it all, and he did.

Five days left, and the dresses were done.

Four days left and the carriage was done.

Three days left, and Lilith bought her daughters dresses from a store, because Will was clearly too incompetent to do the simplest of tasks, and they burned Will’s second pair of perfectly good dresses.

Two days left, and they decided to rent a coacher and a white-and-golden painted carriage, because Will was too incompetent and foolish to do anything right. They chopped up Will’s carriage which he worked so hard on.

One day left, and Will was panicking. Among the chaos of the extra chores and tireless hours with no sleep and little food, Will had forgotten to make himself a somewhat presentable suit. He had nothing to wear to the ball.

Friday morning, the twins were already sitting by their mirrors when he entered to wake them. Their eyes rested on him in their mirrors, as he stood there in their door, frozen.

“You’re up,” he said dumbly.

“Wow, the Orphan shows sign of intelligence,” Summer announced, her voice laced with sarcasm.

“Hell must be freezing over,” Autumn snickered, both sisters laughing.

Will was too dumbfounded to take their insults to heart. He simply shuffled further into the room and drew their curtains. He turned to their shared closet and opened it.

“Anything special you want to wear today?” he asked.

The sisters turned simultaneously, their faces equally puzzled and disbelieved. Then, they doubled over with laughter, Autumn snorting every once in a while, Summer wiping away tears in her eyes.

“By the gods above,” Summer shrieked with laughter. “How dumb can you actually be, you brain dead moron?”

“Yeah,” Autumn supplied. “We’re _obviously_ wearing our night gowns until we need to change to our ball gowns. Moron!”

The twins laughed louder still, and Will stood frozen at his spot. Disoriented and convinced he was dreaming. Even his dreams wouldn’t let him live without the insults he daily suffered.

Lilith came into the room, looking between her girls. “What is so amusing?”

“Will is just being an incompetent moron as usual,” Summer snorted.

“Yeah,” Autumn agreed. “He asked us what we wanted to wear today.”

Lilith looked at Will with cold eyes, then laughed cruelly, her girls joining her soon after, and Will wrapped his arms around himself, trying to make himself as small as he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	5. The Arrangement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Nico welcomed the royalty and their staff as they came from far and near. It was a trite task, including a bunch of nonsensical etiquette rules. Like whom you should greet first, and which of your family members should be introduced before others, and how you properly introduced and addressed your staff.

It was all so mind-numbingly boring, Nico felt like tearing his hair out by the roots, but despite himself, he managed to stay composed and look official and important.  
His posture was flawless, his face neutral yet pleasant, and his handshake was firm. His voice was loud and clear, though not too loud.

They were all so very boring, and he only brightened slightly when Reyna showed up with one guard of her own. A female name Thalia Grace, Nico knew. It was someone Reyna had hired personally for her skills and wit, and looking at Thalia, Nico understood immediately she was imposing and strong. It wasn’t because she was especially tall or buff, but she had a certain stance. Tall, proud, unmovable by others.

“Reyna,” Nico greeted, official-sounding and with a firm handshake. “Good to see you.”

“You too, Nico,” her face was neutral, but there was a hint of a smile in her eyes. “You have grown since last.”

“As have you,” Nico tried to stop the smile that was tugging at his lips, but failed horribly. The two of them snickered, although they made sure to straighten up just as fast. “I am relieve you came, Reyna. This one second-cousin of some princess has been hanging on my arm for far too long. I swear she’s following me around.”

“Yikes,” Reyna pulled a face. “What’s her name?”

“Drew Tanaka or some such. Nails like talons, voice like thick syrup with too much sugar.”

“Sounds awful,” Reyna sympathised, walking further into the castle with Nico.

“At least it’s only her. I was afraid most of the women would hang on my arm, or my every word, but thus far, she’s the only one who steps slightly out of etiquette norms.”

Reyna gave a half huff and a half laugh, bumping Nico’s shoulder with her own. He gave her a shove back and walked in a comfortable silence with her into the grand hall meant for larger gatherings, or, in this case, a bachelorette ball.

There were tables placed near the walls with thousands and thousands of chairs, and despite the many chairs and plates, Nico knew there wouldn’t be nearly enough to accommodate all the ladies and their families to come. Not at once at least. Hopefully they’d understand the incentive regardless. Sit only when exhausted, or due to older age, otherwise, they should stand. Maybe he should say that once they all came, or have written it in the letter? Oh well, too late now. He could only hope people had some kind of common sense. He couldn’t see why they wouldn’t.

Three thrones had been dragged into the large room, pushed against the walls farthest away from the entrance. The large throne in the middle belonged to Hades, the one on Hades’ right-hand-side belonged to Nico, and the one on Hades’ left-hand-side belonged to Hazel. The King’s throne stood tall, decorated in gold, with a red velvet seat.

Along the arched, angled top, gemstones shimmered alluringly. Nico’s throne was a bit shorter than Hades’, and a paler shade of gold—more gold-painted silver than actual gold. There was only one single gem stone at the top of the throne. An emerald. It had once belonged to Nico’s mother, and Nico had begged to inherit it, before stealing it to ensure it wouldn’t be hidden away in the treasure chambers, never to be seen again. Hazel’s throne was smaller still, and an almost-white silver, it had rose-gold edges which seemed to shimmer almost copper in the bright light being cast by the chandeliers.

The maids wore their best uniforms, white with bright yellow-golden edges, their hair set elegantly. The guards wore uniforms of similar fabrics, lite armours protecting their chests and legs. Nico would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking at the male guards. He most definitely was, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Reyna.

“Careful, my brother,” she teased, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You wouldn’t wan them catching you looking them up ad down with an open mouth.”

“Oh, please,” Nico snorted. “They’ve already caught me enough times to know my stares aren’t exactly innocent. I think one of them even tried to flirt with me the other day.”

“Which one?”

“I can’t remember his name. He’s new. Maybe a year or two younger than me. Not bad looking, or good looking, really. Just average.”

“Harsh.”

Nico turned to Reyna’s silent guard, her intense dark blue eyes like a sky rumbling with thunder.

“Thalia, was it?”

She stood at attention, her eyes digging into his own — into his very soul. No wonder Reyna had chosen her for a personal guard. She was surely intimidating.

“Would you mind if I stole Reyna for a private talk?”

Thalia’s body grew stiff and her fingers twitched near her hip. Perhaps, she was not unarmed after all, because Nico definitely caught the shimmer of something small and silver. Perhaps a dagger for emergencies. So Thalia didn’t only look intimidating, from her weapon of choice Nico estimated that she was also up close and personal.

Reyna put a hand on Thalia’s shoulder, her eyes both steely and relaxing all at once. Maybe Nico should ask Reyna how she managed to give those looks.

“It’s all right, Thalia,” Reyna ensured. “Nico can be trusted. You should wait down here; maybe try to mingle a bit. You are much too tense.”

Thalia gave a sigh and spoke, her voice clear and with a certain ‘snappy’ energy to it, but she didn’t exactly sound angry. “I have to be on my guard, Reyna. You never know where or when ill-intended people may show up.”

“That is true, but Nico and I can handle almost anything together. We’ve handled many a thing before.”

“We won’t be long,” Nico promised. “I just wish to talk to her for a moment. Privately.”

“Very well,” Thalia bowed. “You will find me here afterwards.”

Nico and Reyna gave her a nod, an amused smile playing on Reyna’s lips, and Nico offered his arm to Reyna. It wasn’t something he’d ever done before on the few occasions their Kingdoms had sat and spoken together of politics and alliances that would strengthen both Kingdoms. Today, however, the setting was different, and so were the etiquette rules.

Reyna snaked her hand around Nico’s arm, standing at least a head taller than him—as most people his age or older seemed to do—and it felt strange. This was not the way they were supposed to be, Nico thought. Reyna had been a pillar after Bianca disappeared; a second sister. Third?

Nico pushed the thought aside and led Reyna into a nook in the library. They often went there after meeting to unwind and read up on classics, or speak more informally amongst each other about how each of them were doing. Nico considered it their escape, though he wasn’t sure the same went for Reyna. He didn’t need to tell her to sit, or even gesture for her. She took the chair covered in dark-green leather furthest from the corner, as she always did, while Nico took the chair pushed all the way into the corner.

They sat for a while, Nico enjoying the change in atmosphere. He needed the silence now more than ever, after spending time in the grand hall filled with the voices of royalty and their family and guards. He rubbed his head in frustration, imagining how much worse it would get once the commoners came, and wondered if maybe he made a mistake inviting them.

“You seem tired,” Reyna noted.

“A little,” Nico admitted. “These people have been coming for a while, and in about two hours, the commoners will come.”

“I can’t believe you convinced your father to invite them.”

“It took some prodding,” Nico leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling, painted to imitate dark oak with a red-ish hue. It gave the room a calm atmosphere Nico enjoyed more than anything else in this castle. A safe heaven away from noise and bright colours meant to make the already large rooms look even larger.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Reyna questioned, leaned back and relaxed, her feet kicked up on the small study table.

“Marriage,”Nico sighed, removing his gaze from the ceiling. “My father does not think a commoner can ever be trained to understand the politics of a castle, so he’d prefer I choose someone from a castle, be it royalty or worker,” he let out a sigh and sat straight, looking Reyna in the eyes. “I know you don’t wish to be Queen. You’re happy your sister gets that task while you can watch from the sidelines, and I hate to bring this up, because I’d rather not drag you into it. But if I have to marry some woman, despite never having had an interest in women before, I’d rather marry someone I know I can get along with.

“You are like a sister to me, Reyna. I feel safe and relaxed around you, and I understand this is an odd request, but if I find no commoner who catches my interest, would you, maybe, consider being my Queen? At least just for show.”

Reyna lowered her feet and leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees. She took a moment to think, her eyes drilling into Nico, and he shifted a little uncomfortably.

“You do realise that’s a quite large request, Nico?”

“Yes, I know,” Nico ran a hand through his hair. “But I know I can be around you without feeling like tearing my own hair out. We’re compatible in a way, though I do not think it romantic in the least.”

“I was hoping to travel the Kingdoms with my personal guard.”

“You can still do whatever you please. We’ll just say it’s some diplomatic nonsense you’re doing. I don’t need you to take on responsibilities you’re happy to be free of, but if I _have_ to marry a woman, I’d rather marry a woman I at least get along with than some random bachelorette. I know you well and you’re close to my age, and, yeah, we’ll probably have to produce a minimum of two heirs to not seem too suspicious, which, I understand, will be awkward.”

“To say the least,” Reyna chuckled lightly.

“I just…” Nico sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t want to be caught in a relationship I do not care for with a woman I have no connection to. Then rather go into a pretend relationship with a woman I know and feel comfortable with, and who knows my secret.”

Their eyes met briefly, Nico’s body on fire, his throat tight. He wasn’t happy about the arrangement, and he could feel the shame of his partner preference creeping up on him, like a cold, slimy, disgusting beast of the sea. Up his back, his spine, up to his neck where it rested by the base of his skull and made him feel like he would vomit.

Reyna let out a sigh. “I have never been much for the title _Queen_ , but for you, I will do it. Only as last resort.”

Nico let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Reyna. Truly. I know how difficult this must be for you.”

“And I know how difficult it must be for you.”

He gave her a smile, hooping it radiated all the gratitude he felt towards her. Once again, she was at the ready to catch him if he should fall, and he owed her for it, more than he could probably ever pay back. He leaned back in his chair again to look at the ceiling. It would be okay. They had an arrangement now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	6. The Fairy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Evening came fast, and suddenly everything was hectic. Lilith dressed herself, because she refused to let Will touch her. Something about filthy hands full of disease. Will wasn’t really sure anymore.

They’d ridiculed him the entire day, shoving him around, calling him their usual names, and they stung more than ever.

He tried to stay positive, he really did. But it became harder still, especially on days where belittling him was all they did.

He rushed between his sisters, setting their dresses over their bodies. Both girls had beautiful gowns that was sewn to fit their upper bodies perfectly, and fell gracefully around their ankles like puffed-up waterfalls. Autumn’s was a shimmering dress, starting in yellow, gliding into a deep red by her mid-section. It was held up by frilly, puffy, floaty straps, a transparent-like fabric shimmering gold in the light.

Summer’s dress was much the same, starting green, gliding over to a deep blue by her midsection, her puffy, floaty straps a silver-like hue in the light.

Both girls had decided to have their hair set up in tight buns, at the middle of their back heads. Autumn wore a blood red elastic band around her bun, while Summer wore a royal blue one. Will did their make-up, complimenting their natural skin tone and hue with a bronze-coloured blush, and guiding black eyeliner in an upward-feather shape. Both had a neutral, brown lip gloss that made their lips look even plumber, but their eyeshadow was different, complimenting each their dress.  
Yellow fading to red, and green fading to blue.

They stood in the living room now, only one minute left till the coacher came to pick them up.

Lilith stressed Will around to gather all their jackets, and scolded him when they still needed to put on their shoes when the coacher finally came. Will made sure to give her no other excuses to be mad with him before daring the next words to leave his mouth.

He looked at Lilith and her daughters, as they stood in the door which the coacher held for them, the sun setting and painting the sky a beautiful mix of oranges, reds, yellows, and deep, dark, blue above.

“My Lady?”

“Lilith turned and gave Will a look that clearly meant to say she thought him filthy. “What is it, Boy?”

“What about me?”

“What about you, what?”

“I haven’t dressed or anything yet,” Will looked down on himself. “I don’t even really have a suit, but…”

“Oh, my, God,” Summer announced, a soundless laughter escaping her. “The Orphan thinks he can come with us.”

“What?!” Autumn shrieked, the two of them laughing out loud.

“Well, yeah…” Will said, shuffling his feet, his cheeks, eyes, and neck burning. “It said in the letter the bachelorettes and their families are invited.”

“And I suppose you consider yourself family, Orphan?” Lilith sneered, her daughters’ laughter intensifying behind her.

“Well…”

Will wrung his hands, the heat in his face more pronounced now. He didn’t know how to respond, or what to say next, so he ended up simply shrugging, feeling like an idiot. To be fair, he probably was an idiot. Summer’s and Autumn’s laughter filled the air and broke the silence.

“Will,” Will looked Lilith in the eyes. “You will never be family.”

With those words, she stepped into the carriage, and the coacher closed the door behind him. Will stood there, in the darkness. Torn trousers, worn T-shirt, half-broken slippers.

Their laughter circled in his head, their voices louder than ever. Calling him unlovable, incompetent, retarded, a moron, brain dead, filthy. His limbs shivered as their voices grew even louder, denying him as a family member.

Sure, he knew they never thought of him that way, and he never thought of them as family either. Not entirely. Still, the twins had always been called his sisters, and despite how badly he was treated, these people were the closest thing to a family he had. So when Lilith said that out loud, rejected him so thoroughly, it broke Will’s dams and walls.

He found himself walking upstairs in a daze, his legs trembling, his vision blurry, his eyes burning. He opened the latch to the attic and didn’t bother pulling it close behind him. Everything floated together in smears of colours and shadows, and Will fell to his mattress, crying like he’d never cried before, feeling beyond stupid.

* * *

The sky had turned darker above him when his tears ran dry. There were a few stars shimmering in the night sky, and if Will had to take a guess, he would say it was around nine thirty in the evening, at least. Lilith and her daughters were probably having a splendid time, dancing among other citizens of the Kingdom. They were probably trying to suck up to the Crown Prince, hoping to take the throne. If fate treated them, and Will, the way they had always been treated, one of them might even win the Crown Prince over, convincing him to make Will a servant of the castle.

Will wondered what that would feel like. How much different it would be as opposed to do chores in their large house. He wondered if the King and his children were as bossy as Will’s own stepmother and stepsisters—or whatever he should consider them, now it was confirmed they never even considered him family to begin with.

His eyes filled with burning tears again, and anger gnawed away at him. It made no sense to be _this_ upset over something silly like a party, or the fact that these people weren’t family. He’d always known they weren’t. Still he found himself bitterly wishing he could go to the castle to have some fun and relaxation, feel like a normal person. At least just for one day. It wasn’t a lot to ask. Was it?

He turned to face his pillow, thin with age and smelly. He didn’t care. He never did. He let new tears fall into the pillow, not sure how much more his eyes could handle, the skin below tender and probably as red as a bad rash.

“Poorest child,” a voice said. Thin and feminine, casting a peculiar echo in the room.

Will sniffled and sat, his hair a mess around him, blond locks catching in his eyes. He looked into the room and rubbed at his already aching eyes, making sure he wasn’t seeing things.

There, floating right before him, no bigger than his hand—from the heel to the tip of his middle finger—floated a small woman, all dressed in dark blue, white specks of glitter moving around like stars. She had large transparent wings, and obsidian hair, flowing behind her in a windy dance. Her face was small and delicate, not unlike a porcelain doll’s. Large eyes, tiny nose, full, glossy lips. Her head looked too large to fit her slim neck, and her arms were as thin as twigs. Her ears were fine and pointed, her eyes completely black, hiding stars and galaxies somewhere within them. Will couldn’t see them, yet, he could tell they were there, somewhere.

“You… You’re a fairy,” he breath out, rubbing his eyes again.

“That I am,” the fairy said, a small half-smile gracing her lips. “I am a fairy of the Starland Realms.”

“My mother told me about you,” Will said, sitting straighter, admiring the small creature in front of him. “She used to say you exist everywhere. In the sky, in the ocean, in the earth. Even in the sun.”

“That we do.”

Will leaned forward, his hands now on the damp floor. “What’s your name?”

The fairy fluttered, clearly uncomfortable with the question, but it didn’t take long for her to float at a stand-still in front of him again, right where he had to cross his eyes to see her.

“We fairies do not give away our names to humans. It has been a long time since we did that,” she floated towards his dresser, and Will stirred to follow her movement. “We learnt the hard way, humans tend to get too greedy and ask for too much. Knowing our name means they can call us whenever. Make us their slaves,” her wings stopped moving for a moment, pointing downward as if defeated and Will felt sorry for her even after they started fluttering again. “We learnt to never tell our names. To only come if someone truly catches our interest, to grant wishes of our own accord. You may not like my reasons, Will Solace—”

“How did you—”

“Know your name? We fairies know many things. Secrets. That, however, is not important. I have decided to grant your wish, Will Solace, because I feel sad on your behalf. So many times you have prayed to us, and we have heard you. Your prayers and wishes, however, have been too grand for us to fulfil thus far. Another restriction to our secrecy. We have to grant smaller wishes to not make ourselves too known, now that we have finally ensure most humans believe us myths and stories. This wish, however, I will grant for you.”

The fairy flew to Will and landed on his knee, her wings twitching every now and again, her hair still dancing by the middle of her back. She put her small hand, no bigger than Will’s pinky nail—if even that—on his right-hand index knuckle and sent him a sweet, loving smile.

“You, Will Solace, wish to be able to mingle at the Crown Prince’s bachelorette party,” Will nodded, his eyes trained on the little fairy. “Simple,” she flew up into the air again. “All we need, is to replicate an invitation and dress you like a girl.”

“Wait, what?” Will stood, answering the fairy’s beckoning. “Why?”

“You can’t very well attend the party looking like you. These people you live with will see you.”

“I’ll get reprimanded,” Will muttered, looking down. He tried not to tremble by the idea alone, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded.

In the corner of his eyes, he saw the fairy give a sad nod. “Sadly, you will. So we will dress you as a bachelorette. They can decide to come alone, after all, so it will not look too suspicious. You will look so different, the people you live with won’t recognise you.”

Will looked at the fairy, his heart drumming in his ears, his hands sweaty, his throat dry. “But how will we make me look like a female?”

The fairy smiled easily at him and let out an airy laugh, before raising herself to the ceiling. She swung her arms in graceful movements, as if conducting a band playing a classical piece in a grand theatre. She twirled, creating a little dance, and as she twirled and moved her arms, her hair floating above her, blue sparkles covered her and lit up the dark room. Will had to squint his eyes to not be blinded by it, and from the specks of blue and purple hues, a dress came to show. It had a black top with puffy short sleeves, and a golden bottom. There was a golden band following the top of the neckline, and the golden bottom shimmered in the low light, specks of yellow, orange, and red.

It was a simple dress, and the way it was sewn and cut was enough to hide the padded bra and hipsters the fairy also produced. The undergarment made Will blush a bit, but still, he could feel himself smile. Golden shoes with a low heel, and an auburn coloured wig showed next. The wig had a straight-across fringe and the rest of the hair probably stopped by Will’s collarbone.

The fairy ceased her graceful dance, the dress, wig, and undergarments floating before Will.

“These will be yours, Will Solace. For all three days of the party, you may use all of this as you see fit. Chastity will be your horse, there is a carriage at the ready outside. You may steer it if you please, but Chastity knows where to go.”

“How—”

“Listen now, ask questions later,” the fairy flowed closer to Will. “By midnight on the third night, all of this will disappear. The dress, the wig, the undergarments, your carriage, so I suggest you are home by that time. And most importantly, you may not speak.”

“I can’t speak?”

“No, Will Solace, you may not speak. You voice is unchanged, even when you wear the dress and accessories. Should you speak, they will know you are a male, and may well reveal you to the King himself in front of the whole party, including the people you live with.”

Will shuddered. “So if I speak I’ll be discovered?”

“You will,” the fairy confirmed. “If you wish to join the party, you will have to become a girl with no voice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	7. The Girl with no Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

It took exactly one and half hour for the bachelorettes to become clingy. Sure, Nico may have anticipated for something to happen: Noise, sucking up to him, bachelorettes bragging about how adequate they thought themselves. But this, practically chasing him around and giving him no personal space, he hadn’t expected. Judging for Hades’ shit-eating grin, he had.

 _Great_ , Nico thought. _Now I have to listen to him lecturing me tonight_.

Worst of all: He couldn’t just go up to his father and ask him to pretend they needed to talk about one thing or another. Hades would no doubt dismiss him and tell him to enjoy his little party. Nico was not enjoying his party anymore.

Drew Tanaka hung more closely to him, as if trying to claim him, and whenever he managed to shake her off to mingle, the more aggressive bachelorettes came running to tell Nico how wonderful they were.

 _Your Majesty_ , they would say, _did you know I know all of history? Did you know I can speak twenty languages fluently? Did you know my family is known for getting twins?_

It was exhausting, and Nico had honestly lost count of all his ‘lavatory visits’ within the last hour and a half. It didn’t matter how many times he went. Bachelorettes would trail him as far as the door, and the moment he stepped out they’d be hanging on his arm and brag, one trying to be better then the other. Sometimes, Nico managed to get free of their clutches. A few times he started up conversations with some of the bachelorettes who stood in the background, simply because they hadn’t chased him around like lunatics. These conversations, however, only lasted about ten minutes before his ‘fans’ spotted him and came running, lifting up in their gowns to catch up to him.

By nine thirty, Nico was about ready to tear his hair out by the roots and storm off to his room so he could hide in there forever. A few weak moments in between he’d been tempted to go and ask Hades to call the party off, but once he caught his fathers eyes and that all-knowing grin, he changed his mind. He would _not_ give his father the satisfaction of telling him he was right. Still, he couldn’t stay in this grand hall much longer, bachelorettes hanging on him and circling him. He couldn’t breathe anymore. He needed air, so he did the only reasonable thing. He ran outside.

A group of bachelorettes were still at his heels as he made his way through the grand outside area, towards the east where they put up a large hedge labyrinth because Persephone though it’d be fun. Nico praised her by now. She was a genius and he would make sure to let her know, and treat her extra nicely. He ran through the winded hedge walls, grass half-dry, half-slippery below him. The stars were out, but the sky wasn’t exactly dark. Nico could see fine even if the lamp posts in the labyrinth weren’t on.

He took a right turn, a left, then darted into one of the many spirals, not really sure where he was himself. He vaguely remembered a secret hiding spot Persephone had on the other side. A hedge-wall which could be pushed open and provide hiding. She had a habit of sitting there with her favourite book on the anniversary of Maria’s death, allowing Hades to use the entire day to grief his diseased ex-wife. Persephone was nice like that sometimes.

He crashed through walls, leaves and twigs sticking to his nicest suit and jacket. He pushed against other leave-covered, lush walls, scarping his skin, as he searched for a hidden door to a hidden room.

Somehow, he reached the other side of the maze and ran straight into a bachelorette. She wore a black-and-golden gown, her hair falling gracefully to her collarbones, her eyes hard to make out in the low light, but Nico was quite sure they were blue.

“Oh, for the love of—” Nico complained, running a hand down his face, his small crown sitting crooked on his head. He gave the bachelorette an annoyed look. “Well?”  
She cocked her head, confusion painted on her face. Nico noticed her cheeks were hollow and her eyes were sunken, as though she hadn’t eaten for a year at least, but she looked too clean to be homeless or even from a community.

“Your Majesty!” a girl called from the maze, sending Nico’s heart straight to his throat.

Without thinking, he grabbed a hold of the confused bachelorette, her wrist so thin he could almost reach around it with his smaller-than-average hand.

“Not a word,” he hissed as he dragged her along, touching the surface of the hedge until he found it. The hidden door.

He pushed the bachelorette inside, went in himself, and closed the door behind him.

The bachelorette stood perfectly still at the other side of the small cubicle. It couldn’t be more than two by to metres, just as Nico remembered it. He hadn’t brought a blanket to sit on, but he figured it wouldn’t matter now. His suit was already dirty. He let out a sigh as the bachelorettes in the maze kept calling for him, and he sank to the ground, the ‘his bachelorette’s’ eyes on him.

He looked up at her, trying to make her out. It was a bit difficult in the low light. Her hair might be auburn, and her eyes shimmered in the night. Two glowing stars in the midst of their cubicle. He gestured for her to join him on the ground, and she squatted beside him without a word, her eyes resting on his still-crooked crown.

Yup. Her eyes were definitely blue, although Nico couldn’t tell the exact shade of them. Her pupils were dilated due to the low light, her lips pressed together softly. She wasn’t exactly petite, yet, he could tell she was underfed. And while she had small curves, there was something slightly masculine about her body. Like the shape of chin, and her jawbones which jutted out because of her hollowed cheeks.

“Please don’t tell them I’m here,” Nico whispered, when the other bachelorettes called his name again, this time closer to his hiding spot.

‘His bachelorette’ nodded in her squatted position. Nico didn’t blame her for not wanting to sit on the dirty ground. Especially wearing a nice gown like that. Fine, light hairs stood on her arms, and she hugged herself close, shivering in the night. With a thin frame like that, Nico understood. He was light of build himself, so even the warm summer evenings could feel chilly enough to warrant a thin coat.

“I can’t find him,” a whiny female voice sounded just outside their hiding spot.

Nico stiffened and looked at ‘his bachelorette’. He held his breath, waiting for her to yell out where they were, but she sat perfectly still, looking at him with curious blue eyes, dulled by the night.

“Me neither,” another voice spoke up.

“Crown Prince Nico!” the first voice called out. “Where are you?”

Nico closed his eyes and prayed to every god he knew. He prayed for them to go away, to not find him. He prayed for ‘his bachelorette’ to keep quiet.

The others shuffled around outside, mumbling amongst themselves and yelling for him a couple more times, before giving up and heading another way. He heard one of them ask how they got back to the castle and had to bite his cheeks to stop himself from snorting.

‘His bachelorette’ scooted closer and put a hand on his shoulder, worried eyes staring into his soul. His breath caught in his throat and his heart picked up its pace, which was entirely foreign. Usually he only had that reaction to men, but he figured it might just be the adrenalin wearing off and his body catching up.

“Thanks,” he croaked, his voice low and hoarse. “For not letting them onto me, I mean.”

The bachelorette shook her head with a gentle smile, her hair flowing with her movements. It looked soft, and up close Nico could see it definitely _was_ auburn.

“You must be cold,” Nico muttered, figuring he owed her something for her silence.

He took off his coat and handed it to her. She shuffled a bit, drawing in on herself, and eyed the jacket with uncertainty. Her eyes flickered to Nico, something timid in them.

“It’s okay,” he reassured. “You’re shivering, and I just ran a marathon. I’ll lend you my jacket.”

She sat still for a moment, making herself small, her arms twitching a little before she dared leaning forward and taking the jacket with gentle hands. She took it to her chest and gave it a hug, her lips curving into a careful, yet clearly grateful smile, and then she put it on. Nico couldn’t tear his eyes off of her.

The muscles on her arms as she put on his jacket, her chest rising and falling with her breaths, her timid eyes as she bowed her head to him with a shy smile and sparkling eyes. This time, Nico couldn’t blame the adrenaline for stealing the air out of his lungs, and he wondered what was going on. He had _never_ , not once in his sixteen years of living, reacted to a girl in any way, shape, or form. He’d never wanted to hold a girl’s gaze before, or felt his heart pick up its pace like this. So far, only men had been able to cause this chain of reaction. The rushing in his ears, the dry throat, the sweaty palms, and the steady rhythm of his rising pulse.

The bachelorette bowed her head to him while holding onto the jacket, now adorning her sharp shoulders. She looked at Nico’s hair, and put her hands to her head, mimicking his crooked crown. Her eyes cast down, then back up, her smile still there. Careful and gentle. She touched a finger to her head, then pointed at Nico’s crown while cocking her head to the side. His pulse rose when he nodded, and he swallowed when she leaned forward, touching his crown and correcting it. Her fingers brushed against his hair by accident, and Nico felt his face grow hot. By her touch, by her closeness, by the gentle smile that stayed on her lips the entire time, even when she leaned back on her haunches.

“Thanks,” he spoke, breathlessly and more confused by every passing moment. His heart throbbed in his head and rushed against his ears.

She shook her head with an amused smile, her gaze less timid now.

“You know,” he cleared his throat and composed himself. “It’s okay to talk now.”

Her smile faltered, and she touched her neck while opening her mouth. Then she shook her head with downcast eyes, and Nico suddenly felt like a massive prick.

“You can’t talk?” he asked dumbly.

She shook her head, her hand still on her neck, her mouth opening and closing.

“You don’t have a voice?”

Again, she shook her head, looking down.

“I’m sorry,” Nico said, reaching for her before stopping himself. “I didn’t know.”

She looked up, eyes wide, eyebrows arching so high they hid behind her fringe. She waved her hands in front of her while shaking her head so wild her hair flew around her. She gave him a smile and reached out, squeezing his shoulders with steady hands and strong fingers, and Nico’s pulse rose, and his neck burned.

“I think they’re gone now, by the way,” Nico said, nodding at the entrance to their cubicle. “Do you want to… I don’t know, walk around or something? I’d rather stay out here for a little while.”

The bachelorette looked at him, then gave him a smile spreading from ear to ear. It could easily light up a room, Nico thought, and he couldn’t look away from it or her gleaming eyes. This was entirely confusing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	8. The Crown Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Chastity had never failed Will before; never. Until she had to take him to the castle, that was.

The ride there had been pleasant, and Will had spoken to Chasity the whole time. He’d wondered what the castle would look like, what the people might be like, and if he’d find someone who might want to dance with him. He didn’t even mind if it was a gentleman. Will was sure it would be fun either way. But Chastity didn’t take Will to the front gates.

Instead, she stopped at a big, iron fence, stretching seemingly forever. It separated the road from a gravelled path, cut up by soft-looking, lush bushes. Inside, headstones stretched far and wide, and Will could make out a tower of the castle in the distance, its lights dim in the somewhat-bright night.

The stars were out, twinkling in the darkening sky, the colours of trees slowly turning to silhouettes.

“What’s wrong, Chastity?” Will asked when she stopped.

She huffed out a breath and whinnied lowly, casting her head a bit, stomping her hooves on the pavement. Her mane shimmered in the light from a lamp post. Nut-brown and lush. Will knew her well enough to understand this meant she wouldn’t go any further.

“We’re not even at the castle entrance,” he muttered under his breath, but got out regardless. He went to Chastity and put his forehead against her muzzle. “Thanks for the ride, Chastity.”

She breath out, moving her muzzle to nip at his ear. Will laughed, and swatted her playfully.

“Will you wait for me here?”

She threw her head, lifting her front legs off the pavement, giving a dissatisfied huff.

“I thought not. It’s okay, I’ll figure something out. See you at home.”

She bumped her head into his and gave him another playful nip, then she took off again, turning herself and her small carriage around, before she headed home.

Will turned to the iron fence, inspecting it more closely. It must have been at least three metres tall, a few rods stretching above the vertical, flat line at the top. They rods had a point at their tip, shaped like tulips yet to bloom. Will stood in front of the gates to what he assumed was the Royal graveyard. It was covered with iron, twisting and spiralling, flowers of metal decorating the swirls. Will tried the handle, surprised it wasn’t locked. Then again, from what he had heard the Royal grave yard was always open for visitors from this side.

The gate gave a discrete screech when he opened it, and again when it shut closed with a sound that sent a silent echo through the night. The gravelled path crunched below his feet when he walked from one end to the other, where he was greeted by a new gate, this one covered with green leaves, and twigs which looked elastic—bark peeling off to reveal white stems with a tint of light green.

Will bit his lips and tried to peek through the few holes between the leaves. There was a large area of grass, he could see. The castle was some distance away still, but a lot closer than when he was at the road.

This gate didn’t creak at all, which surprised Will—what with all the elastic branches winding around the narrow iron bars. He stepped onto the soft grass, closing the iron gate gently behind him.

There was a marvellous bridge, of pale stone, crossing a pond with water lilies and frogs. Oaks and weeping willows surrounded from the left, and dipped into the water. A few ducks swam around in there, and Will was quite sure he saw the gleaming backs of some fish in the pond. The stone clicked below his low heels, and crickets chirped in the night, the air crisp with the scent of fresh grass. He enjoyed the quiet, but felt goose bumps rise on his arms. It wasn’t even that the night was particularly chilly, Will was just quite skinny because he never got to eat much.

Despite following the lights of the castle in the distance, Will found himself lost in the outdoor area. It was a lot more vast than he’d initially estimated. His shoes sank into the grass without really doing so, slowing his steps just a bit. At some point, he somehow made it to a large hedge maze, and his first thought was that it had to be some kind of joke. He only thought those kinds of things existed in the movies, so he couldn’t help but stare at in in awe.

The lush green leaves, and the luxuriant colourful flowers in full bloom, not a spot to be seen. Whoever tended the hedge—or even the outdoor area in general—sure had green fingers. Will wished he could make the flowers at home look half this healthy. That would be nice.

He stepped closer to a dark pink rose and sniffed it. Its sweet scent did something to him. Roses had been his favourite as long as he could remember, and he wasn’t exactly sure why, but he thought it might have something to do with his parents.

He touched the necklace adorning his neck, resting against the hollow of his collarbones. It was a simple leather cord, the pendant a golden sun with engravings on the backside. The last thing his parents had gifted to him before giving him up for adoption. A reminder they did it because thy loved him. He usually hid it away, scared if the twins saw it, they might steal the only thing he had left from his real family.

Will was so preoccupied with his thoughts he didn’t register the yelling from the maze or the rustling of its leaves. He didn’t break out of his thoughts until someone collided with him. Someone petite with midnight hair.

“Oh, for the love of—” the guy complained, running a hand down his face, and Will’s eyes caught on the small silver crow sitting crooked on his fluffy hair. Dark eyes looked at him, annoyance clear in them. “Well?”

Will wasn’t sure what to do, or say. Wait. He couldn’t say anything. He cocked his head, timid and curious.

“Your Majesty!” a girl’s voice called, and the guy in front of Will cringed.

So this was Crown Prince Nico di Angelo? He was shorter than Will would have thought—about a head shorter than Will. A small, yet defined frame, sharp facial features, large, dark eyes.

Despite the clear annoyance, he carried himself with an air of authority and pride.

“Not a word,” the Crown Prince hissed, and then he dragged Will off into some hidden cubicle in the hedge maze.

Will wanted so badly to voice how wicked he thought this maze. It had everything! But he bit his tongue, the fairy’s warning playing in his head. He could _not_ speak.

The Crown Prince sat down, his body slumped. He looked tired and defeated, if Will was quite honest. A woman’s voice called for the Crown Prince again.

“Please don’t tell them I’m here,” the Crown Prince whispered, his dark eyes shimmering intensely.

Will understood the need for solitude, so he nodded his agreement and squatted close to the prince, trying to make him out. He was all dark clothes, and dark hair, and dark eyes. Pale, olive skin, and full lips. Will felt his cheeks prickle and he shot his eyes down shortly, footsteps stopping outside their hiding spot.

Crown Prince Nico tensed, and Will looked up in time to catch his panicked eyes. Will couldn’t tell if his pupils were dilated, since his eyes were so dark they looked like all pupil and no iris.

“I can’t find him,” a nasal voice whined, and Will swore it belonged to Autumn. He tensed as much as Crown Prince Nico.

“Me neither,” another voice answered, and that voice definitely sounded like Summer’s.

“Crown Prince Nico!” Autumn’s voice-a-like called out. “Where are you?”

The Crown Prince closed his eyes, and Will felt like giving him a hug to comfort him, but that might be odd. Or set him off. Will didn’t know, since he didn’t know Crown Prince Nico.

The group of women outside shuffled in the grass, and yelled for the Crown Prince a few more times, before they finally left. Crown Prince Nico still sat scrunched up with closed eyes, though his shoulders visibly relaxed as the steps disappeared in the distance. Will shuffled closer to the poor guy and chanced putting his hand on his shoulder.

Just a soft touch, easy to shrug off in case he was overstepping his boundaries. But Will understood. He really did. When he felt lost and pushed into a corner, he needed someone to be there too. And he knew people were different, and maybe the Crown Prince would rather like to be alone, but he still wanted to comfort the Crown Prince.

Crown Prince Nico looked at him with large eyes, searching his face for… well, Will wasn’t sure exactly what. He decided to give the Crown Prince a gentle smile, trying to convey he understood him, that he wouldn’t tell on him.

“Thanks,” the Crown Prince croaked. “For not letting them onto me, I mean.”

Will shook his head, the wig bouncing with the motion. He let go of the Crown Prince’s shoulders, the chill on his arms registering again. He hugged himself a bit, wishing he’d brought a thin coat or something.

“You must be cold,” the Crown Prince muttered, and then he took off his nice jacket, presenting it to Will.

Will felt little butterflies coming to life in his stomach, and his breath caught in his throat. This jacket would be too small for him, for sure. He’d rip it, and the Crown Prince must know that. It wasn’t exactly hard to make out Will was taller, and just a bit broader, even though his frame was narrow. It was such a nice jacket. Black with shiny golden buttons, the Royal Crest adorning each button.

“It’s okay,” the Crown Prince reassured, and Will felt his body flush by his attentiveness. “You’re shivering, and I just ran a marathon. I’ll lend you my jacket.”

Will sat perfectly still, fiddling a bit with nothing. His heart raced in his chest and he felt like crying. The Crown Prince was so nice to him. Will hadn’t experienced people being nice to him for such a long time, he’d all but forgotten what it felt like. He looked at the Crown Prince whose posture was straight, and whose eyes were certain, a small smile playing on his full lips. Will swore he felt like kissing the Crown Prince to show his gratitude, but that would definitely be out of line. Instead, he accepted the nice jacket with trembling hands and carefully put it on.

The sleeves crawled up his arms, becoming almost quarter sleeves, but other than that it wasn’t too bad. He didn’t dare close the jacket though, in case it would be a bit too tight for him. So he held the fabric instead, hugging the jacket and bowing his head in gratitude. He felt he should return the gesture, so he mimicked the Crown Prince’s crown, and pointed to his own head, hoping the Crown Prince understood what Will was trying to ask.

_Is it okay I correct it?_

The Crown Prince seemed to understand, because he nodded his head, his eyes glued to Will, and Will couldn’t help his rising pulse, which rose even more when he corrected the crown and had his fingers brush against the Crown Prince’s hair. It was even softer than it looked.

Will leaned back on his haunches before he could embarrass himself by doing something stupid, like running his hands through the Crown Prince’s hair more purposefully.

“Thanks,” the Crown Prince said, his voice trembling just the slightest.

Will was smitten.

He shook his head, his cheeks warm from a blush, and tender from a smile.

 _No problem, your Majesty. No problem at all_.

“You know,” the Crown Prince cleared his throat. “It’s okay to talk now.”

Will’s smile fell, because God did he want to. He wanted to talk to the Crown Prince and get to know him more, and he wasn’t sure why. All these feelings, this jolt of electricity running through his body and making him hyper aware, was entirely foreign, and Will was quite sure he wasn’t supposed to experience this feeling because of another guy.

He wanted the Crown Prince to know he wasn’t trying to be rude. Wanted to listen to his crisp voice with the slight accent.

Will did the only thing he could do. He shook his head, regret still clenching his heart—beating oddly in his chest—and touched a hand to his throat. He shook his head and cast down his eyes, too scared and upset to look at the Crown Prince.

“You can’t talk?” the Crown Prince asked.

 _I can, but I can’t, but I wish I could, but I can_.

Will shook his head again, opening and closing his mouth, hoping the Crown Prince would understand.

“You don’t have a voice?”

Again, Will shook his head, his ears buzzing by now.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Will shook his head, even more violently now, strands of synthetic hair whipping around him.

_It’s okay, your Majesty. It’s okay because you hear me. You hear me!_

Will reached out for the Crown Prince, hoping he could convey his gratitude just a little. He was too scared and nervous to hug the Crown Prince; too uncertain of the Crown Prince’s boundaries. They were strangers, after all. Instead, he settled with squeezing the Crown Prince’s shoulders, a bit firmer than before.

“I think they’re gone now, by the way,” the Crown Prince said, nodding at the entrance to their cubicle. “Do you want to… I don’t know, walk around or something? I’d rather stay out here for a little while.”

 _Do I want to walk around for a while?_ Will gave the Crown Prince a wide smile, his heart jumping in joy. _I would love to!_

The Crown Prince stood up, a wobbly smile on his lips, his eyes shimmering. He reached out his hand to Will, and Will took it. It was soft and cool, and it did weird, wonderful things to Will’s heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	9. Willow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

As Nico led the bachelorette out of their cubicle, she pointed to the hedge maze with a curious expression and what looked to be an amused smile.

He looked at the maze and let out a light-hearted chuckle. “My step mother’s idea. She thought it’d be fun. I should thank her for it, really.”

He looked at the bachelorette whose shoulders had gone stiff and she seemed to hold her breath, her eyes large and alert.

“What’s wrong?”

She stood still for a while, almost like a statue, then she jolted and shook her head, a quivering smile finding her lips. Nico worried for her. Worried about what might have set her off, but when she dragged him by the hand he followed her without a word. She led him to the marble bridge and looked across the pond, her body relaxing by the minute.

The dimly lit reflection of the water made her eyes shimmer a bit. Unreadable in the dark. She stroked the guardrail of the bridge, looking at Nico with a smile that didn’t seem as genuine as the ones he’d seen earlier.

She gave a nod to the bridge, and Nico understood. “This? Uhm. Well, it’s been here for a long time. It’s almost as old as the castle. I believe it was King Charles the ninth whose wife adored ponds with bridges like this, so he had it made for their twentieth anniversary. It’s been here since, and it’s been taken care of quite well. There’s a symbolism in it,” he looked into the pond, trying to catch sight of the fish down there without luck. “My sister used to say lovers who go here are blessed with good luck. I believed her once, too, but after my mother… Well, her and my father stood here once, renewing their wedding vows after the doctor said she was ill, but she still died.”

A hand found his shoulder and curious eyes sucked him in.

“Tuberculosis,” he stated, looking down once again.

The bachelorette squeezed his arm before resting her hand back on the guardrail. In the corner of his eyes, he caught her staring ahead of her. Her look was far off, her lips thin, her brows furrowing and smoothing.

“What about your parents?”

She shook her head and shrugged, her expression pained, her eyes trained on the trees ahead of her. That gesture was much more difficult to decipher than the others she’d given him. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, and thought about asking, but if it was something complicated, it would probably take her ages to mimic. Besides, was it really any of his business?

He decided changing topics was the best strategy. “You know, I never got your name.”

He smiled when he looked at her, hoping she could somehow give it to him out here. He wasn’t ready to go back in just yet.

The bachelorette looked around for a while, her eyes catching on the trees once again. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brows, cocking her head to the side a bit, then she smiled. She pointed at the trees by the skirt of the pond with an excited gleam in her eyes.

“The trees?” Nico questioned.

She nodded, reaching her hands up, then letting them—and her upper body—fall down and hang, then she pointed at the trees again.  
Nico looked for any hanging trees, and nearly face palmed for doing it. “You mean the weeping willows?”

The bachelorette nodded enthusiastically, crossing her fingers in an X while shaking her head, then she bent her right index finger and pouted, rubbing below her eyes.

“Don’t cry?” Nico padded his eyes with his fingers. “I’m not crying?”

She rolled her eyes and pointed to the weeping willows again, making the same don’t-cry gesture.

“Oh!” Nico exclaimed, actually hitting his forehead lightly this time. “You mean ‘minus the weeping’?” She nodded. “Your name is Willow?” She nodded again.

Nico smiled. “Willow. Is there a last name to that?”

Willow looked around, her lips pursed again, the she bit her lower lip and stepped closer to Nico with outstretched arms, her body stiff. Nico’s breath caught for a moment, not sure what to make of this, but curiosity got the better of him. He nodded and stepped closer to her, mentally preparing himself for the touch.

Willow took him in a gentle embrace and started stroking his hair carefully while rocking them back and forth, as though she was comforting them, then she stepped back again.

“Comfort?” he guessed.

Willow shook her head, then pinched her index and thumb together. So he was close.

“A synonym for comfort?”

Willow nodded. That was always a start. Her first name was Willow, her last name was a synonym for _comfort_. Nico looked into the pond, focusing on the moon’s reflection. It was barely half.

“A synonym for _comfort_ ,” he thought out loud. “Let’s see. Cheer is probably not it,” Willow shook her head when he looked at her, crossing her arms. “Hm. Does it even start with a C?” Willow shook her head again.

Nico racked his brain, going through all the synonyms he could remember. It should be easy. His linguistic teacher was practically a genius, and she always complimented him for his skills. As a Crown Prince, communicative competences and skills were, after all, quite important. His father always lectured him about how important words were, and to alway listen for everything. Let no loophole remain in deals, lest someone exploited them.

“Reassure?” Nico guessed.

Willow shook her head, sticking her tongue out while wrinkling her nose. Then she made an arch shape with her index finger, leaning her upper body the same way as her arc went.

“I don’t understand.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes a bit, drawing an S in the air.

“Oh! You mean it starts with an S?”

She nodded her head enthusiastically, and Nico hummed out loud in thought.

“Synonym for _comfort_ starting with an S, huh?” he looked at her again. Her smile and excited eyes. “I kind of only know _solace_ for S.”

She snapped her fingers and pointed at him, doing a little jump before clasping his hands.

“Willow Solace?” he asked, and she bounced again, laughing silently. “All right then, Willow Solace. Nice to make your acquaintance, I am Crown Prince Nico di Angelo.”

Nico shook her hand and was surprised by how firm her handshake was, and how worn her hands felt.

“You know,” he said after a while. “I think it’d be easier to get you a notepad and a pen to communicate with. It’s much faster than charades.”

Willow let out an actual snort and cleared her throat as silently as possible. Nico couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.

* * *

“Did you know this castle is like four-thousand years-old?” he asked her once they reached the tall, brown-bricked castle.

She shook her head and hid a grin behind her hand, her eyes sparkling.

“It’s true, though. And that’s just an estimate made from recorded history. It might be even older. Some believe it’s been renovated and rebuild a hundred times over due to bad accidents. One of my teachers said it had something to do with the foundation, and some small pieces of debris found in our soil. They said that debris could trace back as much as eight-thousand years. There are no records of it though, so it could easily be debris from something that stood here before the castle.”

He nodded to the guards by the large front doors who bowed and opened for them. Inside was warm and bright, the chandeliers shimmering in the high ceiling.

“This renovation, however, is believed to be the work of King Martinus the Great. Sounds like a Roman emperor name, if you ask me. Anyhow, he was the great-great grandfather of our dear King Charles the ninth. The guy who build the bridge and the pond, if you don’t remember.” Willow smiled brightly at him, illuminating the room almost as much as the lights. “Yeah. He decorated the interior with the help of the best interior designers he could find, plastering the bricks so he could paint the inside another colour and hang up pictures. Before this renovation it looked kind of glum. Bricks and tiled floors at the bottom. The tiles inside were ripped out and replaced with a new foundation; wood, and marble. Both down here and at the upper levels. King Charles the ninth installed the chandeliers because he didn’t like the lights Martinus the Great chose. Charles thought they made the rooms look dim and uninviting, whereas the chandeliers helped brighten the rooms. Heating and such wasn’t added until my grandfather’s time. He didn’t like it much, but my dad was rather persuasive. According to his own recollection, at least. I don’t know if I should believe him, but I can’t very well ask Grandpa. He died when I was only two years old, so I never truly knew him. My great-great-grandfather had to replace the chandelier candles with electric light bulbs, and the whole electric thing took a long time to install. Huh. Maybe the last one to renovate this castle might have actually been my great-great-grandfather, now I think about it,” Nico thought for a while, then snapped out of it. “Oh, I’m so sorry. This must be boring to you.”

Willow shook her head, her hands held up in front of her with her palms towards Nico. She gave him a smile, turning and tipping her head to look around her. Nico never really stopped to think how this might look to someone not brought up in it. Grand and bright, decorated with golden paint, paintings, and tapestries. The shimmer of marble floors and the darkness streaming in from the large windows, drowned out by the indoor light.

“Do you want to see the ball room?”

She nodded with enthusiasm, clasping his hands, her smile wide as ever.

“Just so you’re aware, the other bachelorettes might storm us,” he warned her. “Still, we should look for my sister, Hazel, once we’re in. She’s the more artsy of us, so she should have a drawing pad she doesn’t mid giving to us. Or, okay, maybe a half-used drawing pad.”

Willow laughed her silent laughter and took off Nico’s jacket, handing it back to him. Probably a good idea. Nico had all but forgotten about it, but if anyone saw her wearing it, they’d be at her throat like vultures.

“Right,” he put on his jacket. “Good thinking, Willow.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

She nodded and took a hold of his arm, and together they stepped inside the ball room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	10. Waltz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Will liked listening to Crown Prince Nico speak about the castle and its history. It was immensely interesting. Up close, he’d been able to admire the way it was shaped and built. Brick, upon brick, upon brick. So dark brown they almost fell in one with their own shadows in the night, stretching far above him. Rooms and wings and towers he could never dream to see this up-close.

The windows were shaped in arches, facing the streets, though some of the higher-level windows looked more modern. Large and squared.

By the most western tower from the entrance, Will had been able to spot a balcony, its edges rounded likely to follow the shape of the tower. He wondered how far it went, and what was on the other side of the castle. The side he hadn’t seen yet.

Inside was just as amazing, decorated in reds and golds, with light walls. Guards dressed in white, with lite golden armours, but no helmets. They held spears and carried hunting rifles.

Crown Prince Nico’s eyes sparkled when he spoke of the caste and its history, and Will never wanted to him to look elsewhere when he looked him in the eyes.

Once Will had handed him back his nice jacket, he really noticed how it sat on The Crown Prince’s frame. He was petite, for sure, with eyes the darkest shade of brown Will had ever seen. When he hooked his elbow for Will to take, Will couldn’t help but smile. He was so excited for the ball he wanted to bounce on his feet, but he behaved and let Crown Prince Nico lead him through the halls. The ceilings were high above them, the lights bright, the music lively from somewhere to the right, by the end. Even from here, Will could count the beat; one, two, three, one, two, three. Waltz.

Not even in his craziest fantasies had Will imagined himself dancing the waltz in a large ballroom of a castle.

The music became louder and louder, almost like a crescendo, and before Will knew of it they were outside of large, white double doors. They were guarded by four guards whose eyes were sturdy and intimidating, but when they nodded to The Crown Prince they lit up just slightly. The closest guard to each door opened for them, and they stepped inside of the ball room.

Will was mesmerised. It was enormous, with golden lights shimmering from above. What looked to be diamond chandeliers cast the light into the room. Men and women danced amongst each other, swapping partners, laughing, and chatting. Tables pressed close to the walls held the most delicious-looking food Will had ever seen, and it overwhelmed his senses. There were dresses of all shapes and colours, twirling along with the body they sat on. Hair in different does, and tuxedos just as diverse as the dresses. Waistcoats, and blazers, and slicked hair, ruffed hair, hair pulled back by an elastic band. Champaign in cheap plastic glasses, probably to not have the real crystal glasses shattered or stolen.

Will squeezed Crown Prince Nico’s arms in excitement, taking it all in, trying not to be upset by the thought this might all just be an odd dream.

“Do you like it?” Crown Prince Nico asked.

Will wanted to blurt out that he _loved_ it, but bit his tongue and nodded enthusiastically instead, allowing himself to roll just a bit on hiss feet while holding both of Crown Prince Nico’s hands in his.

Crown Prince Nico smiled at him. “Do you want to dance?”

Will nodded, not caring that he couldn’t dance at all, because he could count the beat, and if he could do at least that, maybe he could make his feet obey and move to that beat.

Crown Prince Nico gave him a gentle smile and led him onto the floor, and even though he was shorter, he held Will around the waist in a firm, yet gentle grip. His other hand was below Will’s, not really holding onto Will’s hand at all, but just letting it rest there, and yet, Will felt so rooted.

“Have you tried this before?” Crown Prince Nico asked.

Will shook his head, looking around at the other dancing couples, gliding along the floor so gracefully. He bit his lip nervously, and looked to Crown Prince Nico for guidance.

The Crown Prince chuckled good-naturedly. “Don’t worry, I’ll guide you.”

The song ended, and Will looked down a little disappointed, but Crown Prince Nico didn’t move his hands. His smile merely grew, and Will looked up just as the song changed. A beautiful, yet somewhat melancholic song with piano and violins. Crown Prince Nico nodded his head to the beat, pushed the tip of his toe to the floor a few times, and then he guided Will while talking.

“Look at my feet if it helps, and try not to think too much about it. Let the music steer you. It’s about feeling, not thinking, although, knowing the basic steps does help.”

Will let out a silent laughter, careful not to let his vocal chords reveal him.

They started out nice and slow, not even dancing to the beat. Crown Prince Nico showed and explained the basic steps to Will, and corrected him only a couple of times. By the time the third waltz song started, Will was confident enough to dance to the beat, allowing Crown Prince Nico to lead him, and by the fifth song, they were floating across the floor, Crown Prince Nico leading them with a steady hand and a smile on his face. Something in his eyes was sad though, and Will couldn’t help but squeeze his shoulder and give him a questioning look. At first, Crown Prince Nico shook it off and kept dancing, dodging other bachelorettes by gliding across the floor with swift moves. The songs changed again and again, until _Waltz of the Flowers_ came on. Will knew at least that song, it was infamous. When it came on, Crown Prince Nico’s eyes glinted, and he cleared his throat, letting go of Will’s hands.

“Maybe we should take a break,” Crown Prince Nico suggested, his voice half an octave higher than before.

He took a hold of Will’s wrist, his grip loose and his hand shaking. _Waltz of the Flowers_ still played in the background, people laughing to the familiar tune, dresses twirling, men dipping women. There was someone demonstrating ballet-like movements, her partner standing strangely alone, rubbing his hands together in what looked to be discomfort.

Will followed Crown Prince Nico all the way up towards the thrones where The King and Queen were seated. A short black girl came bounding up, holding onto the hand of some guard with Chinese features. She wore a golden crown in her hair, which was set in a tight bun at the back of her head, but despite the up-do, Will could tell she had curly hair. The buff guard gave a kiss to her hand, and she giggled, gesturing to an ordinary chair situated next to a throne she sat herself on.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” The King asked, looking at Crown Prince Nico. His eyes seemed to hide secrets Will wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“I thought we agreed not to play this song,” Crown Prince Nico said, his teeth gritted, his eyes wet with tears.

The Queen looked at him curiously. “Why? It’s a classic. It practically belongs at these types of gatherings.”

“You ask me _why_?” Crown Prince Nico hissed. “Really, Persephone?”

He gave a sharp look to the Princess’ throne, and realisation dawned in The Queen’s eyes.

“I see,” she nodded, “still, it is traditional.”

“It is not allowed at my parties,” Crown Prince Nico hissed. “We have made an agreement. What you play at your own parties is entirely up to you, but at my parties, _Waltz of the Flowers_ is forbidden.”

“It’s over now,” The King stated, a displeased look in his eyes. Or was it disinterest? Will couldn’t really tell. “You never answered if you were enjoying yourself, or introduced your friend to us.”

Will fumbled when The King looked at him, and went to bow but corrected himself in the last possible moment, resulting in clumsy curtsying.

“This is Willow Solace, Father. We were having quite a good time until _Waltz of the Flowers_ started playing. So yes, I was enjoying myself quite a deal. Hopefully I will again.”

Will stood rooted to his spot, not really sure what to do with himself. He felt small and out of place in front of The King, and The Queen, and The Princess and her buff guard—even when they were laughing together and giving each other lovestruck eyes.

Crown Prince Nico turned to Will. “Allow me to introduce you to everyone, Willow. This is my father, King Hades Olympia, my stepmother Queen Persephone Olympia, My stepsister Princess Hazel Levesque and her guard, slash boyfriend, Fai Zhang, but he really prefers Frank.”

Crown Prince Nico pointed at them all as he introduced them, and Will curtsied politely to each Royal member, and gave an awkward nod to Frank.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Willow,” Princess Hazel smiled kindly.

Will wished he could say something like _You too_ , but he really couldn’t.

“Willow is mute,” Crown Prince Nico stated, and Will felt his cheeks burn. “We were actually hoping to catch you, Hazel. We were wondering, if maybe Willow could have one of your almost-used-up notebooks and a marker, so she doesn’t have to use charades to communicate.”

Princess Hazel put her hand on her heart, her golden eyes fixed on Will, a frown on her full lips. Will had to admit she was pretty, and she seemed like a nice person. Her posture was relaxed somehow, even when she held her back straight and her chest high.

“Well, that shouldn’t be a problem. I have one with some hundred pages left I don’t mind letting her have. Frank could come with me.”

Crown Prince Nico arched an eyebrow. “Alone? I don’t think so. Willow and I will come too.”

Just then, the clock stuck midnight, and Will nearly had a heart attack. He didn’t think he would be here for that long. He’d thought to leave around eleven, but now it was midnight, and he really should make it home before his family. He was quite sure he’d heard them say they would leave for home around this time. If he was not in the attic room, ready to greet them when they rang the doorbell…

Will grabbed Crown Prince Nico’s hands, and gave him what he hoped was an apologetic look, quickly moving his hands to squeeze his shoulders. Then, he gave a clumsy, apologetic bow to The Royals and Frank before he stormed across the ballroom. On his way he bumped into a few people, who turned their gaze to him offended, and he couldn’t even apologise. Not with words, and not by bowing or patting their shoulders. All he could do was run.

Down the hall, down the stairs, out the doors. Guards yelled in surprise, the dress fluttered around him, his heels beat a rhythm as he ran. Past the hedge maze, all the way to the graveyard, into it, across of it, out onto the street.

He stood alone, heaving to catch his breath, coughing every once in a while. He was bathed in the light from a nearby lamp post, exactly where Chastity had set him off, and he realised he had no means to get back home.

He wanted to scream and cry. If he didn’t make it home before Lilith, Sumer, and Autumn, he would never hear the end of it. Lilith might lock him in the naughty room for a week, and if she felt really cruel, she wouldn’t let him have anything to eat or drink in that week. He would die.

He gave into the tears and sat on the ground, crying. He should have never let Chastity ride home. But he also couldn’t let her stand out here, or she might have gotten attacked by a wild animal. Why had she even dropped him off out here?

This was all wrong.

He cried, and just as he was about to give up and throw his wig into the nearest bush, a shimmering blue light appeared before him. It grew in size and intensity, taking the shape of a horse, and before he knew of it, Chastity stood in front of him, throwing her head in confusion.

Will got up in a rush, dots dancing before his eyes, tears forgotten in an instant. “Shhh, easy girl,” Will comforted her, his voice hoarse in the silent night. He looked up to the sky with its twinkling stars, and mouthed a quick but genuine _Thank you_ before sitting up on Chastity and riding home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	11. Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Nico stared at the empty space where Willow had been only a minute ago. She ran off so fast, Nico swore she left a streak of golden light after her. He wasn’t even sure he would call what she had done running. More like bolting. Hyper-jumping from one end of the room to the other and outside again.

“That was… interesting,” his father stated.

Nico just stood rooted to his spot, dumbfounded, with a weird sinking feeling in his chest. Sure, he knew people got tired at different points of the night, but he had kind of hoped Willow would stay until two in the morning. Then again, she had appeared to be alone.

As he thought about it, he realised he didn’t really know anything about Willow, other than the fact she was mute, and she made him feel safe. Sure, he might have mistaken it at first, confused about his own adrenaline, and the warmth that spread through his chest every time she smiled at him, but as the night had gone on, Nico had pinpointed the feeling. Safety and comfort. Warm like a blanket, surrounding him with a light only he was aware of.

“I didn’t even get to give her a notepad,” Hazel stated.

Nico didn’t say anything. He was still trying to wrap his mind around everything. The night, the comfort, the relaxed air. The way Willow seemed to understand him like no one else had, and how she had left him without even as much as a good bye. Not even a squeeze on his shoulders, and that was even weirder. Nico did not particularly like being touched. He didn’t _hate_ it per se, he just preferred people not touch him and respect his personal space. With Willow, he hadn’t minded it.

“Wonder why she left in such a hurry?” Frank questioned, and Nico decided in that moment that he didn’t want them all looking at him.

He let his eyes glide over each of his family members and Frank, and then he turned on his heel and searched the crowd for a long, deep purple dress with shimmering silver sparkles. Her hair was in a tighter braid than she usually had it, her dark eyes sparkling as she danced around with Thalia, who seemed much more relaxed now.

“Reyna,” Nico whispered once he reached her, too scared his voice might crack if he tried speaking louder.

Reyna turned to him, worry sneaking into her eyes. She arched an eyebrow and opened her mouth to talk, but Nico shushed her, took her arm, sent a quick apology to Thalia, and dragged Rayna off.

He took her through the crowd, bachelorettes trying to cut him off, and he honestly didn’t want to deal with them, so he shoved them out of his way, a few of them stumbled, and they let out loud huffs of protest.

Reyna kept up with him, but still he wouldn’t let go of her wrist. He dragged her out of the ballroom, through the grand halls, and up the many flights of stairs until they reached the library where he all but threw Reyna into her chair. Instead of sitting down himself, he paced around the floor, agitated.

He had started making sense of some things, just for other things to occur, and the sinking feeling in his heart—which started the moment Willow was gone—irritated him. He grit his teeth and took a few deep breaths; something Reyna had taught him. He kept up the steady rhythm of each breath, counting from one in his head, until the boiling feeling in his veins turned into a simmer, until it turned into a buzz, and ultimately disappeared.

He didn’t sit down right away. Instead, he closed his eyes, knowing Reyna watched him patiently. Once he felt completely calm, the anger just a buzz in the back of his mind, he sat down and looked Reyna in the eyes. She still looked slightly worried, but the corner of her lips tugged into a smile.

“Okay,” Nico said, breathing out one last time. “All right. I need you to listen without interrupting me, even if you might really want to. I need your opinion once I’m done talking, but you need to hear the whole thing first.”

Reyna nodded and sat a little straighter, crossing one leg over the other and resting her elbows there. She intertwined her fingers and put her lips to their side, her full attention on Nico. Her eyes had the same intensity they had when her and her family came over for meetings, and Nico was immensely grateful for it.

“I ran outside for a while to get a break from all the bachelorettes,” Nico started, trying to recollect his thoughts. “I ran through Persephone’s hedge maze to reach the other side where her secret cubicle is, but once I was on the other side, I ran into this other bachelorette. I thought she was going to tell on me, but I dragged her with me, and she stayed quiet. I later found out she’s mute, and her name is Willow. The thing is, because of all this adrenaline, there was a moment in the maze where I thought I felt attracted to her, and it really confused me. Now, thinking back, I’m not sure I actually felt attraction, but at the same time, I felt really comfortable and at ease around her. I don’t know what it is, but I felt like I could trust her, really. Maybe it’s because she’s mute… that sounds awful. Anyway, we danced and all, and I had to teach her, and then we ran into Hazel to get a notepad for Willow, so she wouldn’t have to use charades all the time, but then, Willow just ran, and now I feel really upset and angry. I don’t think I should feel this way. I mean… I don’t even really know her, but I wanted her to stay, and I have no idea why she just ran. The clock struck midnight, and then she looked panicked, and then… she took off. I don’t really know what to think of this whole situation, or how to make sense of it.”

Reyna hummed, her eyes steely in the low lights. They pinned Nico to the spot in his chair, almost like hands holding him down. It wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, but it was not reassuring either. It was an assessment, Nico knew. Reyna had always been good at assessing; as good as her general, even. She loved strategy games where she could take her time, and calculate, and win by wit, and by being sneaky and clever. Despite how much Nico adored Reyna, he did _not_ like that look. The way she studied him, like she saw right through him, but at the same time he respected her ability to be so calculating and cunning.

“Well,” she finally said, “I can’t answer anything about your feelings regarding this Willow character. I haven’t met her myself, so I can’t really have an opinion of her either. That being said, if she shows up tomorrow, I think you should talk to her, and have her write to you. Get to know each other a little. If you feel comfortable around her, it might be a good opportunity. Maybe make her your future wife.”

“My father said commoners can never learn Royal politics.”

“Your father is a hypocrite from time to other, Nico. Wasn’t Persephone a commoner herself?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“And how fast did she learn to navigate Royal politics?”

“In about three months, I think.”

“Which is incredibly fast. And I assure you Persephone is not the only one who can do that. Majority of our guards are commoners who have been vetted, and then taught. Even the guards need to know some politics to understand the workings of the castle properly. That is our belief, at least.”

“Ours as well.”

“There shouldn’t be a problem, then,” Reyna leaned back and crossed her arms.

“Well, as you know, my father’s health is quite poor. At least that’s what his doctor told him, and that’s why this whole thing has been pushed up two years.”

“Yes. So?”

“Well. My father thinks I’ll need someone who already knows the ropes, probably so we don’t have to train her. If he dies within the month, it won’t do to have a Queen who doesn’t know the politics.”

“Allow Persephone to be in charge, then. She seems more than capable, and since you are the rightful heir by blood, you can take over whenever you want. I’m sure she would understand, too.”

“You’d really request that of her?” Nico arched an eyebrow. “I may not _love_ her, but I do _care_ for her, in a way. A grieving widow shouldn’t rule. Trust me, we saw it with my father after my mother died, you saw how bad that first year was because his focus wasn’t all there. I would never expose Persephone to the same fate, especially since she married to the throne.”

“Oh, you have a heart in there?” Reyna teased.

“Ha ha, funny,” Nico ran his hands down his face. “The thing is, I probably won’t be able to convince my father. Not without testing her intelligence at least, and Willow seems like a nice person. Should I really have her go through that simply because my father forgot commoners have brains too?”

Reyna let out an unflattering laugh that filled the room. She snorted every once in a while, and uncurled, holding her stomach. In a way, Nico really needed a sound like that to fill the room around him. It made the last of his worry dwindle, and before he knew of it, he sat and laughed with Reyna, unable to stop himself.

Everything about this situation was ridiculous.

“All right,” Nico said, wiping his eyes. “So, you suggest I get to know her better?”

“Yeah, of course,” Reyna boasted. “Not to sound mean, but you said she was mute, right?” Nico nodded. “Doesn’t matter how much you tell her, she won’t be able to tell anyone. If anything, a mute is the best company you can have, because even if they want, they can’t run off with your secrets. You can tell her everything, including the man-situation.”

“You’re right, that wasn’t a nice thing to say.”

“But it was not a lie, either,” Reyna pointed out, and Nico had to agree with her.

Despite the nature of it all, and how mean it seemed to use Willow like that to get everything off his chest, it held the truth.

“She could always write it to someone,” he pointed out after a while.

“Then you deal with it like a professional. Say it was a rumour started by a spiteful bachelorette. Who do you think the people are more likely to believe in that situation?”

“That’s true,” Nico mused. “Not nice, but true.”

“The truth is rarely nice.”

“Yeah,” Nico looked up and gave Reyna a smile. “I swear I would be lost without you sometimes.”

“I doubt you’d be lost. You just wouldn’t have anyone to vent to, and therefore you’d have to spend more time calming down before you could think it over properly. I’m sure you’d be more than capable to arrive at the answer yourself. You are incredibly clever, after all.”

Nico let out a huff of air, not entirely good with praise. It wasn’t that he disliked it, but it did make him slightly uncomfortable. As though he didn’t entirely deserve it. Unable to give a verbal answer, he shrugged instead, looking anywhere but Reyna. She read him like a book.

“Don’t be like that,” she teased, chatting him on the arm. “You are smart.”

“As are you,” he chatted her back. “Seriously though, I’m really glad you listen to me every time I need to vent. It helps a lot.”

“You listen to me as well.”

“Of course. Always.”

They sat for while, then Reyna leaned forward and touched Nico’s arm. “Open up to her tomorrow, see what happens. The day after, ask if she will return the favour. If she runs ahead with some of it, just start a rumour she’s jealous you didn’t pick her. It will work out well, compañero.”

“Yeah,” Nico smiled. “I’ll do that. If she returns, that is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	12. Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Will had been tossing and turning that entire night, and during the day his mind had been buzzing and his stomach had been soaring. He felt like humming or singing, but stopped himself. His step mum and -sisters already looked odd at him since he carried massive smile he couldn’t seem to tone down. He served them with gust and a skip to his step.

Sure, he was sad he had to bolt away from The Crown Prince as fast as he did, but he couldn’t wait to go back. And still, there was a ball of nervousness growing in his chest, making him tremble beneath his skin. His mind kept circling, and he found himself wondering if The Crown Prince would be mad at him for running off so suddenly. He hoped not.

Crown Prince Nico had been so kind and polite. He made Will smile and feel worthy of friends. Were he and Crown Prince Nico friends? Will hoped so. All night he had felt so happy and content in The Crown Prince’s presence. The Crown Prince was also quite pretty.

Will blushed and almost fumbled with Lilith’s expensive China. She didn’t say anything about it though, so she must not have noticed, which was a relief. Honestly, Will didn’t want to be reprimanded today. Not when their words finally meant nothing to him, because all he could think about was Crown Prince Nico’s crisp voice, and his hand gestures as he spoke excitedly about the history of the castle.

“You seem awfully chipper today,” Lilith said, bitterness clear in her voice.

Will kind of enjoyed it, and for a moment he felt like bragging about meeting and talking to The Crown Prince, but he bit his tongue. He wasn’t going to ruin the fairy’s nice gift when she’d done so much for it, and risked her secrecy for him. Instead, he held his tongue, but he couldn’t stop the smirk shaping on his lips.

“I’m just happy today,” he stated simply, his grin growing.

“I don not like that expression you’re showing,” Lilith scowled. “No one allowed you to grin like that. Like you are better than us.”

“I know I’m not better than you,” Will smiled, then he all but skipped to the kitchen for the tray of cookies.

He’d prepared this late night snack for the three of them before the second night of the ball. He made sure to do everything as fast as possible, but still be up to their standards. There was no reason they should stay here longer than absolutely necessary. The faster they left, the faster he could leave, and the faster he could apologise to The Crown Prince for his hasty exit, and the faster he could hear him talking again. About everything he pleased, as long as he kept talking, and kept Will company.

“Are you talking down to me?” Lily growled. It was low and threatening, like a monster waking up from hibernation and warning the animals outside to stay away.

“No?” Will looked at her puzzled. “I would never do that.”

He put the cookie tray on the table and went back to wash the China at once.

“You are giving me an attitude,” she said coldly, the chair scraping against the floor.

Will turned and looked at her. She seemed so tall compared to him, even though he was almost as tall as her now. Her eyes were cold and steely, and her nostrils flared. She beat her nails against the table, like she was waiting for something, and then she stepped closer to him, her mouth twitching in its constant scowl.

“My Lady?” Will questioned, making himself smaller.

She stepped up to him, into his space. All the happiness inside him deflated at once, replaced by coldness. His heart jumped to his throat, constricting to beat any rhythm at all, so instead it settled with vibrating. The vibrations sent a hum of unpleasant electricity through his veins, and made his blood feel so warm it eventually froze him.

She stepped so close he had to press himself against the kitchen counter, and then she stepped close enough to have her body press against his, if only softly.

The room started spinning, and bile built in Will’s throat, blocking his already struggling heart even more. He was stiff, his nerves on edge. At any point now, they would snap and overflow him with sensory input so severe he’d probably fall over from it.

Lilith reached up to the shelf behind Will, which meant he practically had her boobs in his face, and he wanted to push away at that moment and run into the bathroom so he could at least dry-heave. He couldn’t breathe anymore. He just stood completely still, useless against this icy force. When she leaned back she held the jar with lentils in her hands. It was a ceramic jar painted in earthy brown hues. Will had always liked it.

She stepped away from him, giving his brain room to catch up, and his breath came in small sessions. Ragged and uneven. His legs started trembling. Lilith’s steely expression didn’t change as she took the lid of the jar, and in one swift move, she poured all the lentils onto the kitchen floor just as their coacher knocked the door.

“This room is clean when we come back home, Will.”

Will couldn’t catch up to his thoughts, or his pounding heart, or his shallow breath. Still, he gave a nod, the room becoming blurry from his tears.

“Good.” Lilith snapped her fingers, and Summer and Autumn followed her out, snickering behind their hands and casting gleeful glances Will’s way.

When the door closed behind them, the sound seemed to echo in Will’s head, and he fell to his knees, hyperventilating and crying. Then, he threw up.

* * *

His fairy came almost immediately.

“Poorest child,” she cooed, putting her tiny hand on his shoulder. “You should not have to suffer so. Allow me to clean the lentils, while you clean yourself and get ready.”

Will looked at her with tear-streaked cheeks, and a trembling lower lip. “A-are you su-ure?”

“Of course I am,” she soothed, making a wiping motion with her hand in the air, and Will felt as though a warm, soft hand stroked his head, not unlike how a loving parent's would do it.

“Go shower,” the fairy smiled, her black eyes shimmering in the lights. “I will take care of things down here.”

Will got up and reached his hands out, cupping the little fairy in a kind of embrace. “Thank you, my fairy.”

His lips trembled when he smiled, and his breath smelled horrible, but he gave her a gentle squeeze, and ran to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth.

* * *

Though the ground was still vast and luxurious, Will didn’t stop to admire it this time. He ran across the pale Lover’s bridge, and took a detour around the hedge maze. The castle tower stood in the background, casting its lights into the night. It seemed even taller today, but maybe that was because he didn’t have Crown Prince Nico by his side to entertain him, and distract him by pointing at the windows, and the brick walls, and the doors, and the flowers.

The guards by the front door stood at attention when he stepped up to them, their eyes shifting towards the main entrance as if silently questioning how Will got there. He didn’t blame them. He was probably the only person attending who entered through the graveyard and gardens.

“Invitation, please?” one of them raised his eyebrow, his golden armour gleaming in the night.

Will pulled the invitation out of a pocket sown into the dress. It was so discreet, even he couldn’t see it, so he fumbled a bit looking for it, probably making the guards look at each other with a kind of _what a weirdo_ look. He fished out the paper with delicate hands. It was sturdy still, folded once at the middle. The guards huddled together, one reading over the shoulder of the other, then the one holding the letter gave a nod and handed back to Will. They stepped apart from each other, and opened the double doors.

“Have a pleasant night, Miss,” the other guard said.

Will almost thanked him, but closed his mouth last second, gave a smile, and gave a quick curtsy. Once inside the familiar front hall, he took the route Crown Prince Nico showed him yesterday, all the way down the west wing. The chandeliers shone bright in the ceiling, and the red carpet below him looked almost like a field of rose petals. It didn’t take much imagination for Will to picture a bright blue sky around him with chirping birds. He smiled at the thought, almost forgetting to turn right by the wing leading to the ball room.

The hum of music seemed to reverberate inside the walls. It was waltz again. An upbeat one that reminded him of _Waltz of the Flowers_ , but it was still quite different from that one. When he got closer to the door, the difference became much clearer. Flute play and little chimes in-between. It gave it a fairytale-esque identity. Will could easily imagine his little fairy dancing to something like this, with all the other fairies of the Starland Realm. Her hair would be floating around her and creating spirally figures in the air, as her wings would flutter at a fast pace.

The guards by the ballroom doors opened for him without a sound. They glanced at him, sure, but other than that, they stood perfectly still at attention.

If possible, the ballroom seemed even more vibrant and alive today. People scurried between each other, laughing and talking. A few stood by the tables and ate and drank. The mood was lively, pleasant, and welcoming. Will wanted to converse with everyone in here, or run around in joy, break out in song, or cheer at the top of his voice. Instead, he settled with gliding in and taking a little finger food, enjoying it thoroughly. It tasted heavenly, like nothing he had ever had or made. Or maybe he had made something like this, but missed the taste because he got the left-over, cold scraps. He also drank some of the fresh water, sitting in pitchers, shimmering hypnotically in the chandelier lights.

It was so wonderful and mesmerising, Will forgot himself for a moment, then someone tapped his shoulder, and he looked back.

There stood Crown Prince Nico, a somewhat shy look on his face, his shoulders tense. There was the ghost of a smile at the corner of his lips though, so it seemed he wasn’t too mad at Will for bolting the way he did yesterday, although he was most certainly hurt. It was visible in the way his chest seemed constricted when he breath, and the way his eyes couldn’t quite meet Will’s, and the aforementioned tenseness of his shoulders.

He wore a dark, almost black, chrome suit today, with a bronze vest atop. His hair was nowhere near as messy as yesterday, but it still looked fluffy and unmanageable and soft. His crown seemed polished, and Will noticed it had little designs carved into it. Swirls and spades with sharp edges.

“I was worried you wouldn’t return,” Crown Prince Nico said, his voice soft.

Will looked down and shuffled a little, his ears probably turning red with embarrassment as they had a tendency to do. He bowed his head in apology, hyper aware of the eyes on them; or on The Crown Prince, at least.

Crown Prince Nico took his hand. “Come,” he said, his tenseness gone, his smile more genuine.

He tugged Will towards the thrones at the raised platform. The King and Queen both sat there, stoic and intimidating. Will curtsied when he came into their line of sight, trying not to catch their eyes. He was worried they might berate him or scold him for running away. What if they would punish him, and this was all a ruse?

Will’s heart beat so fat, it seemed to jump into his throat, and he struggled to breathe, although survival instinct immediately told his body to hide it. The result was he became quite stiff, almost like a stick-man, and probably just as easily breakable.

“How good to see you back,” The Queen said pleasantly. Her voice smiled. For some reason, her voice reminded Will of his mother’s, or maybe he just wanted his mother’s voice to sound like The Queen’s.

Will curtsied deeper still and stood a little straighter, crossing one arm over to the other and holding onto it. He gave an unsure smile to The Queen, her green eyes bright and loving. He felt like crying when he saw them. Something that tender had not come his way for a long time, and he didn’t deserve it from the stepmother ofTthe Crown Prince whom he ran from the night before. He didn’t deserve it from anybody, really.

The King, on the other hand, Will couldn’t read. His eyes weren’t exactly cold, or expressionless, but they were guarded. All of him seemed to be. He sat straight-backed, with his head raised, clearly knowing how high a position he possessed. His lips were straight, not a sign of a smile to be formed, but not exactly a scowl either.

“Hazel left a drawing pad and a pencil for you, just in case,” Nico said, pointing to the smaller throne next to Queen Persephone’s.

The drawing pad was worn thin, pages upon pages torn out. Will suspected those pages were full of Princess Hazel’s drawings. What was left were about a hundred a fifty blank pages, if that. The pen was rather nice too. A gel pen, like the ones Will had seen in the stores, and the ones Summer and Autumn had too many of, since they never used them. He picked up the pad and pen, smiling brightly at Nico.

“Would you like to come with me somewhere more private?” Crown Prince Nico suggested. “There’s a wonderful gazebo outside I’d like to show you, if you don’t mind.”

Will had never seen a gazebo in person before. He’d heard of them though. Nice, dome-shaped, wooden structures, usually painted white. Summer and Autumn said they had roses winding around them, but Will wasn’t sure if that was true. Had they seen gazebos up front? Will shrugged the thought aside, and nodded in affirmation, a big smile plastered on his lips. He was glad the Crown Prince wasn’t too upset with him. That would have been quite upsetting.

Crown Prince Nico reached out his hand, and Will carefully put the pen in one of his dress pockets, so he could reach out for Crown Prince Nico’s hand. They walked outside like that; hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	13. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Truth be told, when Willow walked into the ballroom, and Nico spotted her, he first considered not going up to her. After all, one of the other bachelorettes had his attention, and she wasn’t one of those who had constantly been at his heels—he thought.

He wasn’t exactly sure what had happened over the night, but it seemed since his disappearance last night, as a result of being chased around, perhaps, the bachelorettes had calmed down significantly. They still came to him, and tried to get him to warm up to them. He’d even danced with a few of them. Still, he couldn’t quite put his focus on his current dance partner, because he kept wondering what happened to Willow and why she left in such a hurry. He really shouldn’t be thinking so much about her, though. She was just one bachelorette of many. Although, that wasn’t entirely true either. He had an easiness being around her, which he didn’t have around any of the others. It was similar to the feeling he had when he was around Hazel and Reyna.

Hazel had been kind enough to leave a drawing pad and a gel pen on her throne, before she scurried off with Frank, who was off duty today, to dance with him. Rumour had it, Frank had gone to Hades to ask permission to court Hazel, not that Hades could stop them if he said no. Those two had clicked so easily when Frank had gotten his position, and one thing led to another. Frank didn’t need permission to court, because he already was. Hazel did it just as much, which was nice. Nico was happy for them.

Anyhow, when Willow walked in, Nico had stopped dead in his tracks while dancing with one of the other bachelorettes. His chest filled with warmth and happiness, but also with a melancholic kind of sorrow. She didn’t see him, and she didn’t seem to be looking for him. She simply smiled at the crowd, then went to the food table and got herself something to eat and drink. It wasn’t like Nico _minded_ it. The food was there to be eaten, after all, but he found himself wishing she would have looked for him beforehand to say hi, and _then_ get something to eat and drink.

“Your Majesty,” his bachelorette said, her voice tight. “Not to be rude, but I thought we were dancing?”

Nico looked at her, her raven hair, and pale face, and dark eyes which hid cruelty. She wore yellow fading to red. She had a twin sister, in green fading to blue, whom Nico had danced with a couple of songs ago. Neither of the sisters were very pleasant, and their mother seemed to be constantly sneering in glee, like she won some prize.

Nico looked up at her. She was definitely not a candidate, neither was her sister. “Not anymore, no. My apologies.” He bowed his head to her and went over to Willow.

She didn’t look back over her shoulder. She seemed to take in everything else. Nico wasn’t mad at her, but at the same time, he wanted her to see him and maybe give him that warm smile of hers. He missed that comfort and ease she gave him.

For a while, Nico stood behind her, not doing anything, until he got impatient and tapped her shoulder. She turned around, confusion painted in her face, until she saw it was him. She stared at him in shock for a while, then she looked down and shuffled shyly. Nico didn’t blame her. His own tenseness was visible in his muscles. They seemed to ache slightly from the way he coiled, and he noticed his breathing was heavy and his body warm with an anger he was eager to replace. He took a deep breath and loosened up a little, his head still spinning, but he thought he was doing okay with not looking pissed at her.

“I was worried you wouldn’t return,” he said, surprised by the softness in his voice.

Willow still looked at her feet and shuffled them in circles. Her eyes seemed to be glazing with tears, but Nico couldn’t be sure, and her cheeks turned a subtle red.

Nico decided he didn’t want her to think he was incredibly mad at her, because he was quite sure he wasn’t. He’d just been upset, and now, it was a little better.

He carefully took her hand, as frail and rough as he remembered it. “Come.”

Willow looked up in surprise, her features relaxing, her blush dying down. Nico was quite sure he was smiling, and it seemed to make everything a lot more easy; for Willow as well. He led her to the thrones to get Hazel’s drawing pad, not thinking how it might look to her to be dragged up to The King and Queen after bolting on him yesterday.

Willow curtsied at once, and Nico noticed his father’s eyes were harder than usual. Then it hit him Hades probably wasn’t very fond of people who ran without warning from his company. Nico mentally face-palmed.

Persephone saved the mood. “How good to see you back,” she said, her eyes warm, a subtle smile on her lips.

Willow curtsied deeper, somehow, and when she stood again she seemed to close in on herself, her left hand clasping her right arm.

“Hazel left a drawing pad and a pen for you,” Nico told Willow, eager to get her outside to commence the plan he and Reyna came up with last night. Well, okay, Reyna came up with it and Nico just agreed with her. Nico hastily handed Willow the almost emptied-out drawing pad and the gel pen. “Would you like to come with me somewhere more private? There’s a wonderful gazebo outside I’d like to show you, if you don’t mind.”

Willow thought for a while, then nodded with that gentle smile in place, and Nico reached out for her hand. She took it without hesitation, and let him lead her outside.

* * *

Nico wasn’t in the gazebo often, so he tended to almost forget what it looked like. It was behind the castle, a vast forest beyond. The gazebo was carved of light oak, with leaves and closed roses carved into the tree itself. It peeked out three-dimensionally, soft to the touch. It was glazed over with a glossy, protective coat, which made the wood shine in the moonlight, almost as though it was still alive.

Willow stood slack-jawed by his side, drawing pad in one hand, pen hidden in an invisible dress pocket. She circled the octagon-shaped structure, fingering the carved-out designs. When she reached Nico’s side again, her eyes were big with wonder, her smile subtle and gentle.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically, and fished the pen out of her pocket to scribble on the drawing pad.

She turned the pad. _I love it! It looks wonderful. Thanks for showing me, Your Highness_.

Nico’s body heated with happiness. Willow took such simple joys, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Her handwriting was also quite interesting. Medium-sized letters, somewhere between cursive and ordinary writing. It was messy without really being so, the letters leaning sightly towards the right, her O’s perfect circles.

“Would you like to sit inside with me for a while?”

She scribbled away. _I would love to_.

Nico led her inside and sat her down, enjoying the quiet for a moment. The lights from the castle illuminated the gazebo, and the two of them, in a peculiar way. Nico took time to admire how Willow’s face was hidden in shadows, yet still so clear. Blue eyes, auburn hair, sunken eyes and jutted cheekbones. A semi-strong jaw, which seemed so masculine and refined. Squared shoulders, wiry frame, but he could easily imagine her with thicker, more muscular arms. A healthier body weight.

He looked down, because his mind translated her figure into something quite boyish, and he scolded himself for it.

He remembered Reyna’s words from the night before. _If she shows up tomorrow, I think you should talk to her, and have her write to you. Get to know each other a little. If you feel comfortable around her, it might be a good opportunity. Maybe make her your future wife_.

He took a breath and looked at Willow again. She was already facing him with that smile of hers. “We never got to communicate much yesterday before you had to leave,” Nico said, making sure his voice was kind so she wouldn’t think he was mad at her.

She looked down and scribbled quickly, her handwriting neater when she had a flat surface to put the drawing pad on. _I’m sorry, Your Highness. I had such a nice time with you in the gardens and ballroom, I forgot the time. I promised to be home by midnight, that’s why I had to run like that_.

“So that’s why,” he chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, Willow. We all have things we need to do. I think, today, I want to get to know you better, and I want you to know me better. Maybe…”

He looked down, unsure of himself. She couldn’t go ahead with this. _Who do you think the people are more likely to believe?_ Reyna had asked, and she was right, but he still felt horrible.

“Maybe I should start.”

He looked at Willow whose head was cocked to the side. She smiled and gave a shrug, then scribbled away.

 _You should only tell me what You wish to tell me. Don’t feel forced. We can talk about other things, if You wish, Your Highness_.

Nico’s chest burst with warmth, and even though it was a ridiculous thought, he couldn’t help but think he’d made a great friend in Willow. A girl he barely knew.

“You see, as you may remember from yesterday, my mother died from tuberculosis. I was around eight at the time, and we’d been rather close. Perhaps you know of her name, Maria di Angelo. My father liked her name so much he took it, but he changed to his own surname when I was around nine, and shortly after, he introduced Persephone for the first time.

“My sister, Bianca, she didn’t like Persephone much. She felt Persephone was trying to be our mum, but Mum could never be replaced, so she was quite nasty to her. My father disliked it. He reprimanded her with words, scolded her for being rude, and tried to make her calm down. I suppose his words made it worse. My father has never been the best with words. I take after him in that aspect, I suppose. We’re both quite blunt and cynical, and it often comes across rather poorly when we speak. One of the main reasons he got me communications teacher, I’m sure.

“Anyhow, Bianca was so upset with Persephone, she ran away days after she got married to my father. I was ten at the time, and Dad put out an extensive research team to find her. They looked for two years with no luck, before ultimately deciding Bianca is dead. I don’t believe that’s true, though. Bianca has always been smart and good at hunting. She always sneaked out with the hunters when they trained, and they said to my dad they’d like to recruit her, if not for her title.”

He chuckled, and Willow put a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a crooked smile and scribbled down. _My parents had to give me up for adoption because they were poor. I don’t know where they are, either, but I’m sure they’re alive and well, wherever they are_.

Nico gave her a smile. “We’re kind of similar, then.”

She nodded and wiped her eyes. Nico cleared his throat.

“It was quite hectic, you know. Six months after my sister ran, Hazel’s parents were killed by poison and their castle set aflame. Her parents were Queen Marie Levesque and Pluto, the brother of my father. Their marriage was one of alliance, so on top of having to look for Bianca, we also had to strengthen our protection and perimeters, in case the murderers came for Hazel or us at this castle.

“I didn’t take to Hazel right away. Even though she’s my cousin, and we knew each other, we weren’t so close before. It took two years for us to build up the relationship we have now. Although she’s my cousin, I see her as a sister, although she is no replacement for Bianca. They are two different people, and I still think about Bianca and wonder how she’s doing, wherever she went. But Hazel is my blood as much as Bianca is, so she has the same importance to me. I love her dearly.”

Willow put a hand on Nico’s shoulder, and he caught himself taking a hold of it, to put it on his other shoulder so he could sit closer to her in a half embrace. Despite not being that touchy, there was something so soothing and safe about Willow, that he really didn’t mind. They sat like that for a while, looking at the castle and its lights.

She pushed him away gently and started scribbling, but then the clock struck midnight, and she looked up in panic. Nico knew what this meant now, because she wrote it to him earlier. She had to go home.

She handed back the drawing pad and gel pen, holding onto his hand for a while, then she bowed her head and bolted.

She was gone in the blink of an eye, and Nico looked at the drawing pad.

_I have two stepsisters. They’re_

He needed to ask her how that sentence ended when she came back tomorrow. And he was quite sure he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	14. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Will rushed into the ballroom the next day, excited to speak to the Crown Prince again. Considering everything he’d been through at home, he’d been quite lucky. He wanted to thank his fairy so badly, maybe by making her a small present or something, but he wasn’t really sure what fairies wanted. Maybe a new dress? He could do that. Wait. He didn’t have her measurements.

He let out a sigh before the ballroom doors, catching one of the guards’ attention. “What’s wrong, Miss?”

Will looked up and shook his head, waving his hands in front of him. _Nothing is wrong, I will just never be able to show my gratitude. That’s all_.

The guard quirked his eyebrows, but said nothing else when he opened the door for Will to enter. It was even more vibrant than the other nights, if possible. Will looked around for a familiar head of black hair with a gleaming silver crown on top of it.

He caught sight of the silver crown almost immediately, and his entire body seemed to soar with happiness. His face broke into the same smile it always did whenever he saw Crown Prince Nico. He fixed his gaze on the silver crown and stepped ahead without paying attention. Then, he walked straight into someone.

“Ow, watch where you’re going, Broad!”

The voice sounded too familiar, and before Will knew of it, he stood face to face with Autumn. Her yellow-to-red dress glittered in the light, and she looked as extravagant as she obviously felt. For a moment, he froze, completely paralysed. His breath got stuck in his chest, and his heart sat in his throat. His nerves were buzzing, and he was quite sure his eyes were bulging.

Autumn looked skeptically at him. “Well?” she squinted her eyes. “Have we met before?”

Will shook his head and avoided her eyes, then, Crown Prince Nico’s voice rang in the ballroom, catching the attention of the nearest bachelorettes.

“Willow!” he sounded mighty chipper, and Will cursed himself for choosing such a transparent name.

Sure, it might have been his imagination, but he could have sworn Autumn's eyes widened in recognition. She didn’t get to say anything before Crown Prince Nico was at their side, catching a hold of Will’s hand and dragging him along without a word.

They didn’t go to the gazebo this time. Instead, Crown Prince Nico danced with him twice to the chipper waltz music, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Why so rigid?”

Will looked over his shoulder, trying to see if he could catch sight of Autumn, or Summer, or Lilith, but the crowd was thick around them, alive with laughter and chatter.  
Will sent a pleading look to Crown Prince Nico, desperate to enjoy the dance, but even more desperate to get away.

Crown Prince Nico scowled, his eyes upset, but he seemed to get the message nonetheless. He led Will to the thrones where the drawing pad and the gel pen from yesterday sat on his throne. The King and Queen were nowhere to be seen.

“They went to dance,” Crown Prince Nico commented. “Come on,” he grabbed Will’s hand, “I want to show you my favourite place in the castle.”

Will gave him a wobbly smile, which probably looked unsure, but he followed regardless, more than happy to get away from the ballroom.

They passed through the crowd, and Will caught sight of three black-haired individuals talking together in hushed tones. A mother and her two daughters. Will suddenly found himself pulling Crown Prince Nico along towards the general direction the Crown Prince had started.

“Willow?” there was confusion in The Crown Prince's voice.

Will pulled him along without thought until they made it outside the ballroom, and then he tried to look for an escape. He remembered approximately how many windows he’d passed on his way here, and he recalled where the hidden maze cubicle was. His chest was constricted, and he became aware of how roughly he was wheezing, his vocal chords coming to show, but he didn’t care right now.

“What’s wrong, Willow?” Crown Prince Nico walked in front of him.

Will was about to tell him, but couldn’t make himself throw the fairy’s gift way so easily, so instead he shook his head, tears running down his face.

Crown Prince Nico contemplated for a while, then he gently pulled at Will. “Come. Let’s get you away from here.”

Will nodded, not sure how he deserved to be treated so well and gently, by a Crown Prince nonetheless.

Crown Prince Nico wore white today. Will randomly noticed that. White with golden edges and a slick, black, silk-looking vest. His crown seemed brighter too, somehow. Like the white from the fabric had sneaked its way into the silver of the crown.

He pulled Will upstairs and through a hall full of paintings. They were all Kings and Queens and Royal families. Generations upon generations of them. The walls were muted dust-red, and the linoleum floor was marble-white, with a few golden specks in the design. It made the room brighten under the chandelier lights, and Will randomly wondered how much the electric bill was for this place with all these bright chandeliers hanging in the ceiling.

They passed about five hundred windows before they took a right-turn down a narrower hallway with wooden designs on the walls and floor. The hall led to a black-painted wooden door. It looked sturdy, so Will guessed it was either oak or mahogany.

Crown Prince Nico opened the door for him, all polite, and bowed his head slightly while gesturing inside the room. Will smiled at him, his heart rate significantly more normal by now, and went inside. He stopped in his tracks.

Inside was a massive library, with rows and rows of shelves, full of books. The educational section in here took up most of the place, divided into world history by years, and world customs by alphabetical order, and world politics by the same system as customs. It had books on linguistics, and religions, and mythologies, and traditions. There were sections with fictional books as well, of course. Most of them were old classics. And other rows had shelf, upon shelf, upon shelf stuffed with various encyclopedias.

Will wondered how often these books were studied, and if all of them were required.

His eyes settled on an entire book case full of medical texts. The one next to it had just as many articles, and Will was quite sure he’d died and gone to the heavens. He fingered the spine of one of the newest anatomical books. It had updated information about what they now had found out about the human body. The medical books were part of a larger biological system. It started with animals, glided over to humans, and then to food and plant items, over to geography. It had a system that made so much sense, and seemed to be put together to make seamless transitions between the subjects.

“Do you like it?” Crown Prince Nico asked behind him.

Will turned with a big smile plastered on his face, his step-family all but forgotten. He reached out for the drawing pad and gel pen, and the Crown Prince handed it to him.

He started scribbling away with ferocious enthusiasm.

_If I like it? I LOVE it! I’ve never seen so many books in my life. And all these medical texts!_

Crown Prince Nico chuckled lowly. “You like medical texts?”

 _Yes! I always wanted t be a doctor_.

“That’s a good aspiration.” He sounded so sincere when he said that, and Will deflated, eyeing a dark green leather sofa by a wall.

He jutted his head towards it and started walking, the Crown Prince close behind him. They sat down together, Will scribbling away on the drawing pad while Crown Prince Nico waited patiently.

The scribbling was the only noise in here, and it seemed drowned-out in the muffled acoustics. Almost as if all of the book shelves absorbed the sound and swallowed it.

When he was done, he showed the paper to Crown Prince Nico, ashamed of its reality.

 _I can’t do it though. My step-family don’t even let me go to school, so I can never hope to get such a prestigious job. The only reason I know the basics is because I get time to read in their library when they’re all gone. If my parents knew this is what their good intentions got me, they would be devastated. When I find them, I will never tell them. They would just blame themselves when they tried to do what was best for me_.

Crown Prince Nico handed the drawing pad back to him. “That should be impossible,” he muttered. “All registered citizens should go to school.”

Will scribbled.

 _It’s because my step-family got me from a worker’s house. The orphanage figured I’d gotten too old for anyone to want to adopt me, so they gave me to a work house. That’s where my step-mum got me from, and that’s why they can get away with not sending me to school. I’m a worker already_.

“That’s terrible.” He seemed genuinely upset on Will’s behalf, and Will wanted to hug him and give him a big kiss on the cheek.

Crown Prince Nico was so gentle and understanding. Not anything like the rumours. People in the city used to say he was moody, and brooding, and rude, and closed off. They used to say he gave off a creepy vibe, that his eyes seemed sharp with knowledge he shouldn’t have. That he looked as intimidating as his father.

Crown Prince Nico did _not_ look intimidating, in Will’s opinion. Especially not as intimidating as his father. And sure, Crown Prince Nico might have a vast knowledge, but he needed to, since h was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom. But he was truly a kind person. Understanding and strong. He’d already been through so much tragedy at a young age. Losing his mother, then his sister, then his uncle and aunt. So many loses in such a short lifetime was bound to make someone brooding.

“Could your parents really not keep you?” he wondered out loud.

Will’s fingers already buzzed with tenderness from all the writing he did.

 _They tried. They really did. For six years, they struggled through every day, trying to get jobs everywhere, but no one hired them. They lived in collectives, trying to keep me fed. Some collectives had a good system with feeding children below 12, and elderly above 65 first, whereas other collectives had a first-come-first-serve system._  
_It was so tough on them. They didn’t want me to live like that. They wanted me to be able to get an education, without having to starve through the day, and without having to rely on hand-me-down clothes. They wanted me to be able to get into the best schools, because they love me. They cried when they handed me over to the orphanage. I was 6.5 years-old, and the orphanage handed me over to the worker house when I was 8. I heard most orphanages wait till 12, but I guess they figured no one wanted me, or maybe there was money under the table._

_The rest is history. I got adopted by my awful step-family and they treat me like trash._

_You can NEVER tell anyone. Especially not my parents if you one day see them, or hear of them. They must not know_.

Crown Prince Nico handed the drawing pad back to Will, his eye broken and glazed over. He seemed to contemplate for a while, then he spoke up.

“I never knew we had it so bad with the worker houses, orphanages, and collectives.” He crossed his arms, and leaned back, his eyes on the floor. “Sure, we’ve heard there is a problem, and we are aware of it, but I, personally, did not know it was _that_ bad. I must talk to my father about this information, without giving out your name, of course. I would never want to betray this trust you put in me so willingly and honestly.”

Will felt a pang of guilt penetrate his heart, because Crown Prince Nico was praising him so highly for his honesty, and yet, here he was, lying abut to his face. He wanted to tell Crown Prince Nico he was not a female. Since he had been honest about everything but that, he wanted to let Crown Prince Nico know that as well. But he couldn’t break his promise to the fairy, and it ate him up inside.

Crown Prince Nico knew of his true childhood story, but he did not know Will.

Will took a deep breath and bend his head down, prying the necklace out from below his clothes. The simple leather cord with the sun pendant on it, and engravings on the backside. _A light will always shine_ , it said. An heirloom from someone in his family, and the last thing he had left from his parents.

He handed it to Crown Prince Nico, very carefully, and The Crown Prince cupped it in his hands. It was probably really cheap compared to all these crown jewels The Crown Prince was surrounded by on an almost daily basis, but Will didn’t care. He started scribbling, his right wrist hurting.

 _This necklace was the last thing they gave me before they gave me up for adoption. I’m hoping to leave my step-family once I turn 18 so I can search for my family. The necklace might become helpful, then_.

Crown Prince Nico turned it in his hand carefully and delicately. He read the engraving at the back and smiled.

“I’m sure you'll find them some day, and—”

Will put a hand on his shoulder and started scribbling.

 _I’m sure you’ll find your sister, as well_.

Crown Prince Nico smiled with tears in his eyes. He cleared his throat, but his usually crisp voice was still groggy. “Thanks.”

They sat for a while, the scent of paper and ink surrounding them, and the heat of the library making Will tired. He wouldn’t mind taking a nap in here, or staying until morning. It was so nice and comfortable. Without thinking much of it, he put his head on Crown Prince Nico’s shoulder. Crown Prince Nico still held the necklace in his hands, the cord twined around his slender fingers.

“You know,” he said. “If you want to, you could stay here. Become my betrothed.” Will sat up straight, and Crown Prince Nico looked at him with tender eyes. “I know it’s a lot to ask, since you’ll have to take on the title Queen, but I’ll let you read medicine to your heart’s extend. Persephone is known as The Florist Queen. You would be known as The Medic Queen. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? And, most importantly, you’ll get away from that awful family who took you in. You’ll be given all the services available to aid in the search for your parents, too. If you want to, of course. You don’t have to.”

Will sat, flabbergasted, not sure how to react to that. He had daydreamed about escaping. He’d even made a secret calendar counting down the days till his eighteenth birthday where they couldn’t legally keep him there, worker or not. Yet here sat this stranger, who happened to be a Crown Prince, who Will had danced and communicated with for three days, offering him a way out if he wanted it. All he had to do was take it, but, he couldn’t. Could he? If he did, Crown Prince Nico would find out he wasn’t actually a girl. He’d probably get really mad and disappointed, since he threw this ball to find himself a Queen, and somehow, ‘Willow’ was now that Queen, and Will had no idea what to do.

He had to tell the Crown Prince. Had to apologise for lying and wasting his time. He had to make this all better. Maybe he could help the Crown Prince choose someone nice, and tell him who to stay away from.

He opened his mouth, sure his fairy might get disappointed in him, but he couldn’t keep this a secret. Especially not now.

The clock struck midnight before Will got to say a word, and he panicked, contemplating blurting something out, but he knew that would likely end them in a discussion, and if it did that… he wouldn’t make it home.

He shoved the drawing pad and gel pen to Crown Prince Nico and bolted out, his brain already wired to find the exit from here. He knew approximately how many windows they had passed, and how they’d gotten here from the ballroom, and how the ballroom connected to the front, and how the front connected to the gardens.

He ran as fast as he could, forgetting his beloved necklace in his hurry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	15. Agreement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Nico was left with only a necklace. A golden sun pendant on a leather chord. The last thing Willow had from her parents. Nico couldn’t start to imagine how much this piece of jewellery must mean to her. He imagined it had the same kind of importance his mother’s emerald stone had to him. The one engraved in his throne. Recently, he’d been thinking of making a crown with it, or a piece of jewellery he wouldn’t mind wearing. Maybe another ring? He clutched the necklace in his hand, and vowed to protect it, and Willow.

 _You could stay here. Become my betrothed. You’ll get away from that awful family who took you in_.

Nico looked thoughtfully at the ceiling, trying to make sense of his wandering thoughts and his confused heart. He might not know her that well, but they had shared intimate secrets, and he felt comfortable with Willow. More comfortable than he did with most strangers, and even if he might never be able to be in love with her, maybe she would allow him his own pleasantries. Would she be incredibly offended with him requesting something that would make him feel more whole than she could?

He shook his head. That wasn’t important right now. Medics were always needed in the castle, whether they be Queens or not.

He sat up, took a deep breath, and went downstairs to the party. The halls were so familiar, he could probably walk them blindfolded, but he knew better than to actually try that. He greeted the guards when he passed them, and made his way back to the secret entrance for the ballroom.

The music was still thrilling through the speakers, the people were still dancing, laughter and muttered conversation mixing into the lively waltz tunes. He spotted Frank and Hazel dancing somewhere in the crowd, their eyes glistening, their smiles wide. To think, Frank could have been a Prince Consort if Hazel’s parents were still alive. He would have to rule a Kingdom. Nico could definitely imagine that. Hazel and Frank ruling side by side. They could have been incredible. As Princess and Prince, their primary tasks would not be much unlike ambassador duties, and Nico felt confident they would be just as incredible at that. He had no objections, and judging from the humorous tint that played across his father’s otherwise calculating eyes, Hades didn’t seem to have any qualms about them either.

Persephone looked a bit flustered, but also happy. And Nico noticed Hades sat much more relaxed than usual. That could only mean one thing. The two of them had just sat down after dancing as well.

 _Good. That’s good timing_.

He straightened his stance and paced up to them with intent. His eyes focused, his lips in a straight line. Hades’ eyes connected with Nico’s, and Hades sat straighter, his posture attentive at once. He did not look away from Nico’s figure as he stepped closer still, and Nico made sure to give him a polite nod before sitting on his throne, and leaning in close to Hades, watching his sister and her boyfriend dancing in joy.

He was glad Hazel would at least always be happy regardless of titles. The only good thing her parents’ death caused was her meeting Frank. Loyal, reliable, sometimes-clumsy, Frank.

“I’ve found a bachelorette,” Nico muttered, low enough for only Hades to hear.

He gave something between a hum and a grunt in response.

“She’s not from a castle.”

Hades sighed, even if it to the commoners might just look like a heavy breath. “Nico—”

“Please, hear me out,” Nico glanced at Hades, matching the challenge clear in his eyes. He was not playing games. Willow _had_ to get out of her home. “She is mute, which probably makes her even more unpopular to you, but we get along well, and I enjoy her company. She seems genuine, and I want to teach her how to be a Queen. She catches on fast. These past three days I’ve hardly needed my voice to communicate with her. It’s like she has this sense for when something is wrong, and knows exactly what to ask and how to ask it without upsetting me further.”

Hades’ eyes grew impatient. “There might not be time to teach her, Nico.”

“I will take on all responsibility till she has learnt, Father. I want it to be her. She has experienced things that may help improve the Kingdom which castle-bred and staff may not have experienced. I believe, without a shadow of doubt, a commoner would improve the Kingdom greatly. Much more sufficiently than any novice might.”

“Nico…”

“I am quite serious, Father.” He opened his palm and presented the necklace to Hades. “She left this behind by accident. I _will_ return it to her, because it is of great importance to her, and I’m sure she’s sad she forgot it by accident. When I find her, I will invite her back, because she’s in a bad house-situation. Even if I have to buy her, I will bring her back, and she will more likely than not become my consort, then my betrothed, then my wife. I’ve decided.”

Hades sighed more obviously this time. “I thought you said you’d arrange for something with Reyna?”

“We spoke it over, so it was certainly on the table, fret not. But I cannot see myself with her in such a way. My fondness for her is identical to my fondness for Hazel and Bianca. It won’t do. Besides, she has her own duties and dreams to attend in her Kingdom. Both strong-willed sisters are needed there for it to remain impenetrable.”

Hades sat back in his chair, his posture sinking, his face slack. He seemed to contemplate something he wasn’t very happy contemplating, but judging from the way his brows creased and his eyes grew alert, Nico could see whatever Hades’ thoughts were, they were turning in his favour.

“All right,” Hades said at last. “You may be onto something. The gods know this Kingdom still has issues, and maybe a commoner really is the best way to hear more about them and address them accordingly, since commoners are good at catching wind of our surprise visits. I am tired of facades.

Nico couldn’t help the smile that quirked on his lips. “Good. I’ll arrange for a search for her.”

Hades let out a frustrated grunt. “You don’t know where she lives?”

“Unfortunately, no. I only know her name and face. And her necklace. I will arrange for a search where whoever can correctly describe the necklace is her without a shadow of doubt.”

“I thought you said you know what she looks like?”

“I’m sure others here do as well. They might dress up as her to trick me, so the necklace will be a safety measure.”

Hades massaged his forehead. “I’ll make sure to get your little love letter drafted.”

“I am quite capable myself.”

“I am still the King, and a search of this calibre will be made public my me.”

Nico rolled his eyes, amused with his father’s stubbornness. Then again, he didn’t have that personality trait from strangers.

“As you wish, Father.” He stood from his throne and bowed to his father, then to Persephone. “I will pick out the guards who will accompany me, then.”

It was no secret there weren’t many Nico trusted with his life. Frank was one of them, which would probably not go over well with Hazel who wanted Frank to get the title Prince quite soon. Their relationship to one another was no secret, after all.

They weren’t difficult to find in the crowd. Hazels’ cinnamon hair and golden dress shone in the light, and her tiara begged to be looked at.

The song played, and Nico tapped both of them on the shoulder. They turned, and Hazel gave him a warm smile while Frank looked quite forlorn. He gave a slight bow and shuffled a bit in his place.

Nico snorted at his antics. “Frank, please, there is no need to be nervous around me, Hades, or Persephone. We all approve of you, and cannot wait for you and Hazel to get married.”

Frank blushed a deep scarlet red, and Hazel gave Nico a look that was half playful half upset. “Nico!”

He snickered. “I want to sit on the first row, by the way, and throw flower petals at you when you take your leave.”

Frank muttered something incomprehensible and Hazel chatted Nico on the shoulder. He only chuckled in response.

“On a more serious note,” he cleared his throat and stood straight. “Frank, I may need your assistance soon. I am venturing outside the castle in the search of my mute bachelorette, Willow. I will need your assistance once that time comes, which may well be a few days away. Gather a smaller elite, only people you know can be trusted in a life-or-death situation, should someone want to assassinate me, for one reason or another. I will need only six, including you. Nothing too grand. We don’t want to scare people away, either.”

“Ugh,” Hazel groaned, looking into the ceiling. “I wish Frank would just get the title already, then you couldn’t pull at him like that.”

“Sorry, Hazel. I am only dong this because I know I can trust Frank with my life, and not because I particularly like it. Especially since I truly want the two of you to have a bright future together, so, please don’t be too mad with me.”

“I’m very mad with you,” Hazel huffed. “I get the logic, but I wish you could choose someone else.”

“I know.” Nico looked down, a little ashamed of himself, then looked at Frank, whose face had turned back to its own colour. “Frank? You don’t _have_ to say yes, though I would be very honoured if you did.”

Frank shuffled a little and looked at Hazel who, despite her disapproving pout, gave a shrug. “I guess…” he scratched at his cheek, then stood straight, much more confident than before, his eyes steely. “I would be honoured, Your Majesty.”

He bowed, and for a moment Nico was taken aback by his mannerism, but he let it wash over him and gave Frank a smile and a pat on the shoulder once he stood straight.

“Thank you, Frank. Truly.”

Frank smiled back, then got dragged off by a still-slightly-disappointed Hazel so they could dance again. Nico couldn’t help but laugh to himself. Those two would truly do amazing things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short. I can’t add more to it without it getting clunky.  
> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	16. Nerves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have now caught up with my ffnet document. I do not know when the next update will be, since I have studies and original fiction on the side. From 7th May I will also have theatre in the Mondays again.  
> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Before the announcement, things weren’t easy. Even when Will had his fond memories, he’d lost his necklace, and Autumn kept casting him suspicious glances, like she expected him to pull on a dress. She’d even made Lilith tell Will to empty out everything he had, so they could look it over, and Lilith even went as far as crawling into the loft room, because Autumn was so convinced she’d seen Will at the party.

That day had been the worst of them. Of course, they hadn’t found anything, and they had Will search through the entire house in front of them, and clean it all up again, and berate him because there had been a look-a-like. His heart had been pounding in his throat the whole time, and he’d wanted to cry more than ever.

In a way, it was probably good Will had rushed off without the necklace back then. If he hadn’t, they would have found it and hid it, or taken it for themselves and worn it in front of him. This way, at least he knew it was with a person who knew how much it meant to him and how much he cherished it, and even if he would never see it again, he knew it was kept safe. It was the better option, really.

In the nights, he often lay sleepless in his room, staring at the sky through the window in the roof. He wondered how his fairy was doing—he had come to call her Shine—and whether she was out there, fulfilling more wishes. He wanted so badly to thank Shine for everything she had done for him. For the opportunity she had given him, but he could not call her down. He knew it was for good reasons, of course he did, but it still made him sad.

Before the announcement, the torture doubled. Just because Autumn spotted him; or what they had eventually ruled to be a look-a-like. They kept talking about the party, or trying to make references with Will, probably hoping for him to slip up, but Will had always known when to be silent, and how to veer. They had given him at least that much.

Then, the announcement came. Hermes delivered it, unable to talk to Will since Lilith was out, breathing down his neck. A habit she had taken to ever since Will made the mistake of opening the invitation outside.

The envelope looked the same. White with a golden tint and an official stamp. Lilith ripped it from his hands, giving him a paper cut, and knocking out the house bill in her hast. She gave a kick to his side when he bent down to pick it up.

“Clumsy, useless, Orphan.”

Will’s heart clenched, and even if Lilith’s kick hadn’t been hard enough to damage him, his insides hurt. Everything sank to the depths of his stomach, and he sobbed in dismay after Lilith went inside. He was quick to wipe his tears, however, seeing as Lilith, Summer, or Autumn could come out at any moment, and if they saw him cry, they would berate him for it, and probably also punish him.

It was easier to focus on the good things in his life. His horse, Chastity, who was always so good and kind to him, his parents, who were probably out there somewhere, hoping, praying, and cheering for him. And Crown Prince Nico. Kind, considerate, clever. Will recalled their dances, their walks, their conversations, and the way The Crown Prince had been so genuinely worried for him. But those memories sadly left him with a bitter taste more often than not, because they would always remind him he lied about who he was.

The Crown Prince did not know he was Will and not Willow, and it ate Will up inside.

Summer and Autumn’s excited screams from inside the house jerked him back to reality, and he gathered the letters and himself from the ground and went inside.

“He’s coming, he’s coming!” they cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.

“Will!” Lilith cast a glance at him.

Will almost didn’t react because he wasn’t used to them addressing him by name. He snapped out of his shock and walked up to Lilith.

“My Lady?” he bowed his head for good measure.

She waved the letter in front of his nose, and he caught a glimpse of the neat cursive on the letter. He wasn’t sure if she expected him to read it, since she waved it around and didn’t hold it steady for him; not to mention she removed it too fast.

“The Crown Prince will be coming through the Kingdom in a week, and this house needs to be spotless, do you understand?”

Will stood frozen, then nodded. “Yes, My Lady.”

“Do you know _why_  The Crown Prince is visiting the Kingdom?”

“No, My Lady, why?”

“To find the girl who can tell about the necklace she forgot.” Lilith looked at him with cold, cruel, eyes, as if she was expecting Will to say something, or give something away with his expression alone. He made sure to look confused. “Apparently, The Crown Prince wants to court her.”

Will took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart. Hope bubbled in his chest, and it hurt his cheeks to not smile. Stones weighed his stomach down by the thought of seeing Crown Prince Nico again, but at the same time, his stomach tingled with anticipation.

Would The Crown Prince recognise him? Would he get mad if he did? And, most importantly, Will wondered how he would go about getting his necklace back. If he straight up took it, he would give himself away, and if The Crown Prince got upset with him and left him behind, he would be tormented worse than ever before, and Lilith would probably throw his necklace away with Summer and Autumn in toe.

“She must have made a mighty good impression on him,” Lilith sneered. “But to leave without a way to contact her… how dumb can you get?”

Summer and Autumn giggled. Will stayed silent, bowing his head and casting his eyes down, and he found himself calling out to Shine in his head.

 _Please. I know you’ve already done so much for me, and I’m grateful to you. For everything. But there’s one more thing I’d like to wish for. I wish… I wish, if the Crown Prince finds out I was Willow, he won’t be mad with me. I wish for him to still take me with him. I know it’s selfish, and I understand if you can’t grand something like that. But I’d still be grateful for any support you could give me_.

* * *

After the announcement, things got hectic. Not unlike when the invitation for the ball first came; or when the date was made public.

The best China was taken out from its hiding in the basement, replacing their ordinary plates. Along with it, their best silverware was taken out, and expensive vases replaced the ones usually standing on any flat surface of the house. Will had to clean and polish it all to perfection by himself, and his arms ached with the repetitive motions. Not to mention the stench of the silverware polish. It reeked up the kitchen so badly, the window had to be left open for two days straight, and Will was ordered to sit watch to make sure no one would break in.

His eyes were burning, his nostrils felt itchy yet numb, his fingers buzzed and his mind was blank. The silverware shone in his eyes, catching the reflection of the sun, making white marks appear before his eyes. He worried if he’d actually damaged his retinas, and heaved a sigh of relief when the marks disappeared from his vision.

Even the floor had to be waxed.

Will was given four hours, in which Lilith took Summer and Autumn out to have their hair cut and died, and gave them new clothes.

The polish was sticky, yet slippery, and Will had to see the room in his head before he started doing anything, so he wouldn’t accidentally catch himself in a corner, since the polish took half an hour to dry.

It was tedious work, leaving marks on his knees through his worn trousers. His bones were screaming in pain from his weight which he kept shifting as he scrubbed away at the floors.

When Lilith and the twins came home, Will was surprised to see they bought him new clothes. Nice-looking clothes, too. Not that they did it without complaining what a waste of money it was, since they would only allow him to wear it when The Crown Prince came to look presentable.

Will didn’t give away how excited he was for the—on their part unwanted—gesture. He bowed and said thanks, as formally as possible, even though he felt like bouncing and giving Lilith a kiss on the cheek. She would not have appreciated that at all.

“Don’t get used to it,” she sneered, and then he was back to working.

Scrubbing every surface, washing every piece of fabric—including the curtains—brushing the horses, dusting the chickens' feathers, tending the garden.

Seven days quickly became six, then five, then three, then one.

His body screamed in agony, his head spun, his breath was caught somewhere in his chest. He was practically starved by this point, and his eyes were blood-shot, but he kept going. Bowing his head, and casting glances at his new clothes when he could get away with it.

Neat, fitted, marine-blue trousers, a white shirt, and a marine-blue waist coat. He didn’t even know if it would fit him, since he didn’t know his size, and he was sure his ‘family’ didn’t either. They’d probably just picked the safest bet—a small or medium, if Will was to take a guess—and hoped for the best. Not that it mattered much, since they would definitely burn it after The Crown Prince’s visit. But Will would lavish each moment he got to wear those clothes.

The sun rose, and the sun set, and before Will got to even blink, he had cleaned the entire house so well it was gleaming. Spotless with a pleasant citrus scent, and fresh flowers in the expensive vases.

On the morning of Crown Prince Nico’s visit, Will went through the motions with a knot in his stomach. He couldn’t quite place if it was nervousness or excitement, or a mixture of them both. But it remained there, in the pit of his stomach, as he woke up, stretched, got dressed, went to the outdoor area to tend to the animals. It remained as he took a quick shower and made breakfast, and it got him so unfocused he almost forgot about Lilith’s new diet and breakfast.

It remained and spread up to his chest as he woke Lilith, and bathed and brushed Mr. Charles, and got the twins out of bed, and dressed them, and brushed their newly-dyed hair.

It stayed rooted in his stomach and chest, sending unpleasant shock-waves through to the tip of his fingers as he got re-dressed into his new clothes with shaking hands.

Lilith and the twins stared at him with cold calculating eyes, making the hairs in his neck stand on end, and making his ears ring and his head throb. He wished for this day to be over, or better yet, not exist, but at the same time, he looked so much forward to seeing Crown Prince Nico again.

The emotions mixed and mashed, and clashed so terribly it made the ground bend below him, and the sky spin around him. It sent bile to his throat, and he nearly threw up when he saw it in the distance.

A high-polished, black carriage with silver linings, and a silver embroidery on each door depicting a cross cupping a floating ball. It was dragged by white horses whose manes and flanks shone golden in the sunlight, and flanking it in pairs—two in front, two by each door, and two at the back—were guards wearing silver armour on mahogany-coloured mustangs.

The Crown Prince had arrived, and Will was shivering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	17. The Necklace of Solace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Nico had known, long before leaving the castle, what to expect. That, however, didn’t soothe his temper as he went from house to house with his guards in tow, meeting women who had all cut and died their hair to look like Willow. None of them had been close enough to see her eye colour, so that eliminated most of them on sight. Then again, none of th knew Willow was mute, so the moment they started talking, they were disqualified.

Unfortunately for Nico, his father had worded the letter in such a way he was still forced to hear all the women out, even when he knew for sure none of them were Willow. In a word, it was tiring.

Houses blurred together, and all the families seemed the same. He came, they stood outside to say hi and bow down deeply, then they’d invite him inside for tea or snacks, one of his guards would have to test it for poison before he could consume it, their younger women would come down, brown-dyed hair cut to look like Willow’s, and then they would say _Hello, Your Majesty, how nice to see You again_.

By now, he’d heard so many versions of what the necklace supposedly looked like, he wondered just how many necklace designs existed in the world. Between each house, he’d fish out her necklace to look it over, so he wouldn’t forget what it looked like, or accidentally think one of the many made-up designs were true.

He’d also learnt rumours travelled between the citizen, so in houses close to each other, they wouldn’t have two women describing the necklace as a heart-design, but then he came further out, to where rumours hadn’t spread, and the heart design would be back, but another design would be off the list for a while.

Though Nico looked at the village as it passed him by, it blurred together and became nothing. His mind was buzzing with white noise, and his eyes were heavy, and more than anything he felt like pulling at his hair and maybe crying in frustration. Then he could be bored to tears both figuratively and literally. If only he didn’t have to worry about his posture.

Late in the afternoon, they reached further towards the outskirt of the city. From snobby upper class, to over-achieving high middle class. Nico wasn’t sure which of them were worse, and he really wasn’t looking forward to getting into the poorer areas. He could only imagine how they would act once he reached them.

They reached a house not far from city centre, high middle class. The building had two floors, and, judging from the shape of the roof, an attic at the top. Its facade was cream-coloured, the roof a dark grey. There were marble pillars by the high oak front door, holding up a half roof. The lawn out front looked flawless, like something out of a coloured scrap book. Roses flourished, greens reached high, honey bees swarmed flowers for pollen. There was a family of four standing by the front door. A mother, two daughters, and a son who looked nothing like the others. The mother had black hair and a youthful face, which looked fake somehow. The daughters had had their hair cut and dyed, for sure, the amber colour too intense in the sun. The son, however, had a mop of blond hair and tired-looking eyes. He seemed too thin, and too worn out. Nico tore his eyes away and took a deep breath, bracing himself for the young women sucking up to him.

Frank came and opened the door for him, and gave him a grim nod. Even his guards were starting to wear out, and they were about halfway through their Kingdom. They probably wouldn’t be back in the castle until late in the night. Nico reckoned these six guards, and his coacher, deserved extra pay for their time.

The gravelled path leading into the house crunched under Nico’s feet, birds chirping above. There was the faint sound of chicken from the back of the house, and neighing from horses.

The people at the front curtsied to him, and the boy bowed. When he stood again, Nico caught his eyes, and his breath nearly stopped. They were the exact shade of blue Willow’s had been. He shifted his eyes to the girls, confused and disappointed by their darkness. The son must have been their half-brother, or perhaps adopted, since he didn’t even share facial features with them.

“Your majesty,” the mother said. “Welcome to out humble home.”

Nico arched an eyebrow. _Humble_ was hardly the word he would use about this place. Though not as large as the upper class villas, it was still extravagant in its own way, and everything seemed placed meticulously to enhance the place’s beauty.

“Thank you,” Nico said, more out of politeness than actual interest.

“Would You care to come inside for snack and drinks?” the mother offered. “It must be tiring travelling through the Kingdom looking for Your bachelorette.”

Nico wanted to decline her. Tell her they could just take care of matters out here, but he also knew it would be rude to turn the offer down, as they surely had spent an unreasonable amount of time preparing for his visit.

“Sure,” he tried not to sigh, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded. “Thank you.”

They went inside, and the scent of citrus almost knocked Nico off his feet. It wasn’t that it was unpleasant, it was just… unexpected. Although all the houses he had visited so far clearly had been cleaned before his visit, none of them had looked anything like this one.

Every surface was sparkling and flawless. The floor was newly polished, the silverware glittered in the sun, and beautiful flowers from the garden stood in lovely vases of white China with blue swirly patterns. As they went to sit, the blond haired boy scurried to pull out Nico’s chair, not uttering a word, and then he went round the table, pulling out a chair for everyone, even his mother and sisters, and though there was a chair to spare for himself, he kept perfectly still, his eyes tentative, his body rigid.

He looked so worn out, Nico almost felt like giving him a hug, and he was definitely malnourished. His eyes caught on the boy’s ragged hands, his knuckles so dry the skin was peeling off at places, and the skin was red with irritation. The women, however, had perfectly manicured nails.

Nico looked the boy in the eye. “Did you clean the house alone?”

The by looked down, as if he were afraid or ashamed to admit to anything.

“Your Highness,” the mother laughed, something unpleasant and threatening in her tone which she clearly tried to hide. “I would never allow Will to clean all of this house alone. Of course we all helped.”

“Yet he’s the only one who looks worn out,” Nico noted.

The mother’s eyes hardened and she shot the boy a nasty look. “Why are you still standing, Will? Sit down.”

Her tone was so hard and commanding, and the boy winced, and Nico almost felt like physically punishing the mother. This timid boy was clearly not used to being treated well, no matter how much of a facade the household tried to put up.

“Right…” Nico sighed. “Shall we get to business?”

“Why of course, Your Highness,” the mother smiled pleasantly. “Let me get the sandwiches and tea we prepared while you speak to my daughters.”

She hardly finished her sentence before the blond boy bolted to his feet and practically sped-walked to the kitchen to get the snacks and tea. He came back in such a hurry, Nico almost wondered if he could teletransport somehow, and the mother gave him a tight smile.

“Will, darling,” the mother smiled, her voice as tight her lips, her eyes glinting dangerously. “I said I would get this for our guests.”

The boy’s lips quivered, his shoulders trembling slightly, then he bowed his head to the mother and muttered a silent apology. It was so quiet, Nico almost missed it.

He tightened his jaws. “Your son looks quite worn, Miss?”

“Oh! Lilith,” the mother finally thought to introduce herself. “My name is Lilith, and these are my daughters, Summer and Autumn,” she pointed to each girl in turn, and they bowed their heads to Nico with sickly sweet smiles. “The boy is Will. We adopted him when he was eight, but treat him as family.”

“I find that difficult to believe,” Nico’s eyes lingered on Will. His unhealthily thin body, his tired eyes with bags under them, his worn knuckles and nails, his matted hair.

Will bowed his head, trying to give Nico a smile while also not looking him in the eye. He reminded Nico so much of Willow it almost hurt.

“Very well,” Nico looked to his guard who’d tested the food and drink for poison. He shrugged and Nico took one of the sandwiches and took as small bites as possible to draw out the time. “Let’s get to it then.”

He looked at the nearest daughter, and forgot if her name was Summer or Autumn. Not that he really cared, since neither were called Willow.

“You were?”

“Summer.”

“Summer,” Nico sighed. “What does your necklace look like?”

“Well,” Summer twirled her hair around her finger. “It has a slim silver chain and a heart pendant covered in glass stones that look just like diamonds.”

Great. Back to the heart pendant. “Autumn?”

Autumn fluttered her lashes. “Obviously Summer wants to be Yours. Anyone would be lucky to be, but it’s _my_ necklace, actually. It has a slim golden chain with a tear-shaped golden pendant. Inside the pendant is a tear-shaped transparent pearl with iridescent shimmer which shifts between pink and green.”

Nico let out a loud sigh and a half groan. At least the tear-thing was new. Especially the level of detail. Autumn must have practised quite a bit to pull that off.

“Right.” Nico stretched and got up. “Another waste of my time, but thanks for the tea and sandwiches. I’ll also have law enforcement come over to look over your son, and hopefully take him away from you. He is clearly malnourished and overworked, which I won’t accept.” He looked at Will. “I know a place you can go to. It’s a nice place. I vouch for it. Just hang in a little longer, yeah?”

Will looked like he was about to cry, but nodded and bowed his head. He spoke quietly. “Thank You, Your Majesty.”

Nico shook his head. “Don’t mention it. I do not like it when the people of my Kingdom are mistreated.”

He stepped outside, the family at his heels. The young women were crying tears of frustration, and the mother looked about ready to strangle Nico.

“Well,” Nico sighed, not forgetting his manners. “Farewell, Lilith, Summer, Autumn, Will.”

He shook their hands in turn as he bid them farewell, and Will passed a crumbled up note into his hand with a desperate look in his eyes. As if trying to tell Nico not to open the paper in front of his family, so Nico didn’t. He stepped into the caravan, and they took off again, onto the bumpy road.

He made sure they were some distance away before he opened the small ball, its creases nearly obscuring the writing, although the writing was strikingly familiar. Medium-sized letters, somewhere between cursive and ordinary, the O’s a perfect circle. It was Willow’s handwriting.

 _Please take good care of it_ , was all the letter said, a single tear stain in the low corner.

“Stop the carriage,” he ordered, the coacher giving him a curious look.

“Your Highness?”

“We need to go back to that house. Now.”

Nico wasn’t even sure if he was mad or not. He wondered what else Will had lied to him about. If the whole thing had been a ruse. Judging from the state he was in, he at least hadn’t lied about his step-family, but that might not necessarily mean he had been truthful about everything else. His life story could be one big lie, spun to get pity, although Nico could not see what Will could possibly hope to achieve by doing that. Maybe he had purposely made Nico sympathise with him, hoping to get inside the castle, but even that didn’t make sense to Nico. Most of his subjects thought he was frightening and cold because of the way he had to carry himself.

However, he _did_ make a promise. He promised Willow she could stay with him. And if Will was Willow, he really promised it to Will. Nico was nothing if not a man of his word.

Nico marched right up to the high polished door and knocked before entering. He didn’t even bother to wait for the family to let him in, even though he knew it was rude to enter the way he did. The women stood hustled around the staircase, whispering amongst each other, and looked back just in time to see Nico approach them.

“Your Highness,” Lilith gasped, her face so off guard Nico would have laughed if he weren’t conflicted about Will.

“Where is Will?” Nico demanded, tightening his face to look more intimidating. It must have worked, because one of the twins pointed at a small cupboard door, her entire body shivering.

Nico wasted no time getting his guards to shove the women aside, and then he knelt down to open the small cupboard door. His heart nearly stopped at the sight before him. Curled together, sat Will, a mess of ruffled hair and crumbled clothes. He was crying silent tears and drew further back before looking back at Nico with fear in his eyes. It looked like someone had slapped him across the face, his cheek carrying a red mark.

Nico’s jaw clenched, and he tried not to cry. He wanted to be kind to Will, he really did, but Will had lied to him, and so, he was harsher than he should have been.

“Describe it to me,” he demanded.

Will seemed to shrink at his tone, and Nico felt like either kicking himself or Will. He should _not_ feel guilty for being upset right now, even though Will’s family was truly awful to him.

“Please,” Will whimpered, his voice small and frightened.

Nico’s pulse rose, a mixture of sympathy and anger coursing through his body making him shiver with nausea.

“Please,” he tried for a kinder tone without success. “Just, describe it to me.”

Will cried and shook. He looked so small and it tore Nico apart.

“It has a leather chord,” Will sniffed, wiping the tears off his cheeks. “Its lock is golden… well, not real gold, so it has a copper tint to it. The same with the pendant. It’s a sun with squiggly rays, on of the rays has the loop attached to it and the chord. The sun has no design on it, but it has engravings on the backside. _A light will always shine_ , it says.”

Nico’s temperature rose. He was so unsure how to act or react. But he had to keep his word, even if Will _had_ lied to him.

“Very well,” Nico sighed. “Get up.”

“I’m so sorry,” Will sobbed, still shivering. “I didn’t mean to waste your time. I just really wanted to go out, but they wouldn’t let me, and if they caught me going anyway, I knew they’d punish me. I really didn’t mean to mislead you or anything. I swear.” He dried away more tears. “I didn’t lie about my life. Only my physical appearance and the muteness.”

Nico tried to be patient, but he just wanted to go home. He had found his bachelorette, and his bachelorette was a guy about his own age. Part of Nico was extremely relieved, since he’d had those conflicting crush-like feelings towards Willow, but he had also thought she looked a little boyish. At least he knew he wasn’t confusing his attraction towards men anymore. Despite the bruisings and the clear malnourishment, and how worn down he was, Nico could see Will was beautiful. It didn’t matter anyway. He’d had to start all over, or send a letter to Reyna and apologise to her, explaining the situation as delicately as possible.

First things first. “Let’s go, Will.”

Will’s eyes widened and he flicked them between Nico’s outstretched hand and his eyes.

“Go?” he asked. He sounded almost scared to be hopeful.

“I said I’d get you out of here, and I meant it.”

“Aren’t You mad, Your Highness?”

“I would more say I’m upset and feel stupid for spilling so many of my secrets to you. Maybe, once I cool down, I might see your rationale clearer, but for now, I may be cold towards you. That still doesn’t change the fact I gave you my word, and my word means everything to me.”

Will’s lips twitched, as if he wanted to smile but wasn’t sure whether or not he was allowed to. Still, he reached out his hand and put it in Nico’s, and the texture was just like Nico remembered it. Rough and dry, but with a certain gentleness to it. Nico carefully drew Will out and turned to Lilith, her eyes hard as ice by now.

“I will take your son with me now, Miss.”

Her nostrils flared. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Nico glared right back at her. “If you wish, I will gladly pay for him. His weight in gold.”

There was something hungry in her eyes. “Is that so?”

“Indeed,” Nico confirmed. “Of course, you would have to do the cleaning yourself henceforth, as I will also bar you from adopting again. There is a list where people like you are added.”

If Nico didn’t know better, he would think Lilith considered strangulating him. Maybe she was, and simply refrained because of the guards surrounding them. They stood at the ready.

Will tugged at Nico’s sleeve. “Your Highness.” Nico looked at him. Will’s eyes were uncertain and frightened. “My horse…” he shuffled his feet.

“Right.” Nico looked at Lilith again. “I will buy one of your horses as well. That is five-hundred gold for the horse, and Will’s weight in gold for him, and you and yours barred from adoption. Does that sound fair?”

Lilith might as well have growled at him, but instead she bowed her head, anger seething out of her. “Very well, Your Highness.”

“Good.” Nico turned his attention to Garrett—one of the guards Frank had picked out. “Take Will out to his horse, when he comes back we will weigh him so we can pay our promised amount.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Garrett guided Will by the arm, and before long they came back out front with a beautiful brown mare.

Nico had Will weighed and jotted down the weight to so he wouldn’t forget. He looked at Lilith. “Garrett will come with your money in the morning. Good day.”

He turned on his heels and gave the mare to Frank. Then he opened the carriage door and looked at Will who’d made himself as small as possible.

“Well?” Nico arched his eyebrow. “Step in.”

Will rubbed his arm, his eyes brimming with tears. He bowed his head and crawled in, Nico following behind him. Then Nico closed the carriage door, and they went back to the palace together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	18. Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Will had expected the worst when they arrived at the castle. He’d expected for The King to throw him out, or reprimand him in a way he’d never been reprimanded before. None of that happened.

Sure, King Hades had been more than dissatisfied, his nostrils flaring and his eyes hardening, but Crown Prince Nico had reasoned with him. Will had only caught about half of it because he’d been so busy stressing out and fearing for his life, waiting for his step-family to show up again, or for someone to jump out from a corner and tell him he’d been pranked. None of that happened.

Instead, he was given a room, smaller than his sisters’ shared room, but much larger than the crammed attic, and he wasn’t sure how to respond. He might just have cried and blubbered incoherently, catching up to everything that happened in the throne room.

Crown Prince Nico really _was_ a man of his words, because he’d made sure to get Will enrolled in the schooling programme, and get him smart enough to study to be a doctor. The condition was, he’d have to be a doctor of the castle, and Nico might assign him to be his own private doctor at some point.

Even if part of Will’s brain was screaming at him he’d just gotten a prison sentence—albeit more luxurious than the prison he’d already lived in—he still fell to the floor, crying like a mess and thanking Crown Prince Nico, and apologising.

The Crown Prince’s eyes had been as hard as his father’s, a scowl in place. But there was something in his stance, so unsure and fidgety, almost as if he wanted to hug Will, that made Will feel as though The Crown Prince appeared more mad than he might actually be. Will didn’t blame him for anything. After all, Will had lied to him, and he hadn’t expected The Crown Prince to just forgive it and be fine with it, and be his best friend.

* * *

It took about a week for Crown Prince Nico to soften up and forgive Will. It didn’t happen overnight, and Will hadn’t expected it to. It was probably the worst week Will had had in years. He still woke up with nightmares, and found himself obsessively cleaning every corner of his new room to make sure it was spotless, and Crown Prince Nico was gradually warming up and becoming softer towards him, until the it was water under the bridge.

In the second week they started becoming friends. Maybe. It sure was nicer than the first week where they’d been kind of awkward, and there had been a coldness to the air around them, but it was definitely not as nice as the ball yet. Will was scared to hope for more, since he wasn’t sure whether he deserved it. He still cleaned his room about fifty times a day, and helped out int he kitchen with the meals. He sometimes got restless in his classes because he wasn’t used to sitting still for so long, and he often flinched at people when they reached for him.

The third week, Crown Prince Nico came to his room one night. He had this look in his eyes; like he pitied Will. Will was crying because of a nightmare, scrubbing his floor, his knuckles raw. Crown Prince Nico had knelt next to him and touched his shoulder, and Will started wailing like a stranded whale and held onto The Crown Prince as though his life depended on it. Then, Crown Prince Nico arranged for therapy sessions to help Will, and it was so tough and draining, and he felt like he was getting nowhere.

Three more weeks passed before he didn’t get frustrated about the therapy sessions. Three weeks where he learnt and had ups and downs. Three weeks where he and Nico got a little closer, and the formalities started dwindling until they spoke to each other as equals, though Will doubted they could ever be.

On the eighth week, Nico and a couple of guards went to town, and he invited Will along. The two of them and four guards for a day out where they could relax. Or, Will could. Nico still had to be official and everything, and it didn’t really occur to Will how tiring it must be to always uphold a certain posture and speech until they got back home, and Nico nearly collapsed into Will, muttering _Just let me die now_ in Will’s chest. Will held him close, scared to lose him too, and they ended up talking all night.

They spoke about Will’s parents, and Bianca, and the moon and the stars were out, so they looked out of the window, drawing constellations in the sky together. They spoke of their fears. Will still feared his step-parents would come for him some days, but mostly, he was finding peace. Slowly, but gradually. He liked his studies so much, and he learnt so much, and he felt like an actual person. He still helped in the kitchen, just because he liked it, and even Nico had taken a liking to coming around when he had time to spare.

They held hands as they went on walks in the night together. Sometimes the moon would be high in the sky, sometimes it would be so dark they had to bring a lantern with them, and then they would go to the graveyard, and Nico would tell Will about his mother. Her voice and kindness. Her smarts, and how they used to play the piano together. She used to tell him stories from all over the world, and when Nico was smaller, she would tell him stories of pirates because he was fascinated by them.

Will became fast friends with Princess Hazel and Frank. Princess Hazel invited him riding a number of times, her stallion unlike any other Will had ever seen. He had a bit of a temper, and Hazel seemed to be the only person he liked. Will didn’t know how she did it, but she definitely had a way with him, and they’d ride through the forest together. Will enjoyed the breeze against his face, and how it played with his hair. He liked Princess Hazel’s company, and they would often make up songs together, though neither of them were very good singers, and the bouncing motions of the horses certainly didn’t help, but they had fun.

She sometimes gave him funny looks when they spoke about Nico, and Will found his eyes lingering on The Crown Prince more than they probably should. He might have caught Nico kind of looking at him as well, and he wasn’t really sure what to make of it.

It took Will four months to realise he might have a crush on Nico, and he really wasn’t sure what to do with that information. They knew each other so well. They read in the library together, snuggled up against each other, buried in blankets, the fireplace crackling even when the weather wasn’t cold. They agreed to have soft jazz playing in the background on these lazy days, and it felt so familiar by now. Maybe because they went here whenever they could, and sometimes they’d sit like this, cuddled together, Nico’s breathing steady. Soothing. Intoxicating. He smelled like a dewy forest, with moss on the ground, on an early autumn morning.

Most times, they read together or fell asleep in their pile of blankets. Sometimes, Will helped Nico prepare for one of his many tests. Sometimes, they played that one card game—Mythomagic—Nico had hoarded since he was a child, and the light in his eyes as he explained it, and they played fifty rounds back to back, was so captivating, Will found himself focusing more on Nico than on his cards.

Nico was so radiant when he had time to just be himself and not care about his title. There was a light in his eyes otherwise hidden to the public, and Will couldn’t help but think that light and radiance was reserved for hims specifically.

In a word, Nico was beautiful, and Will was falling hard.

* * *

It was his fifth month in the castle when it happened.

The day wasn’t much different from the others. So far, it had been a good day. Will hadn’t had any nightmares that night, only pleasant dreams. He still vaguely remembered it; something about a flower field and summer, him and Nico running through the high grass and laughing together. The sharpest detail was the kiss they’d shared in his dream. It’d felt so real, Will spent most of the breakfast preparation distinguishing the edge between dream and reality. It didn’t help his racing heart much when Nico decided to help with the breakfast this morning, giving him a gentle smile. There was this shyness in his eyes that had developed over the last few days. Will smiled back and looked down, suddenly shy and hyper aware.

Classes were good, and the castle’s doctor, Aesculapius, praised Will for how fast he was catching on, making Will feel proud of himself and confident.

Nico and Will ate lunch together in the dinner hall, talking together as easily as they usually did, but it was like there was something different in the air. It was tense, like a bow drawn on a string, and it made Will’s stomach tingle with anticipation. There were times their hands accidentally brushed together, and they let them linger more than they needed to. The times they leaned closer together to share a private joke, or a piece of gossip, then stayed close together—shoulder to shoulder—even when they were done whispering. There were their legs pressing together and the odd soft kick of feet below the table combined with hiding their giggles.

They sparred together even though Nico was much better at sword fight than Will, and every time Nico stepped close to Will, or won and had to help him up, they lingered, out of breath, both giggling and blushing, and looking at lips parted for breath.

The day passed in a blur. Lectures Will got down to the T, breaks where he endorsed in this rhythm he’d build up with Nico where they would go one place or the other just to get away a bit, and be alone, and talk about everything under the sky while holding hands. Will might have swung their hands and Nico might have laughed and given him that look again. Tender eyes and shy smile. A blush dusting his cheeks, a tongue gliding over his bottom lips, and Will’s look lingered.

In the evening, after dinner, they went together to the library, as they had so many nights before. They went to their pile of blankets with all their study books, and whichever fiction book each of them read now. They worked in silence, pressed together under warm, heavy blankets, the fire crackling playfully, the room quiet safe for the turning of their pages and the soft tunes of jazz from the gramophone.

The bow string tightened, and Will’s insides were on fire. Nico’s gentle breathing, his subtle humming, his slender fingers turning the pages delicately. His scent of dewy autumn forest with an undertone of that pomegranate shampoo he used. If Will hadn’t realised he had a crush, he might have feared going into cardiac arrest because of the frantic way his heart thrust against his ribcage. No rhythm or reason. His head was spinning too. He might be drunk on this feeling.

Nico broke the silence first. “Reyna will come in three months to start the courting.”

Will tensed. They never spoke much about the whole Nico-Reyna-arrangement. First of all, because it made Nico super uncomfortable since Reyna was like a sister to him. Second of all, because the guilt hit Will like a ton of bricks and often ended him in a really dark place of self-blame for almost a week before he forgave himself again.

Will guided his breath, his eyes already burning with tears. The warmth and comfort started oozing out of him, almost like a flat tyre where the hole was tinier than Shine’s pinky.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, not looking away from his book.

“Hey,” Nico put their books away and grabbed Will’s hands. He looked him right in the eye, no blame, no anger. “We moved past it, Will. Water under the bridge.”

Will sighed and tried not to cry. “I know we said we would, I just…” his tears spilt.

Nico shifted his weight and moved his hands to dry Will’s tears. His touch was careful and gentle. Will’s stomach somersaulted.

“Come on, Will,” Nico whispered, his voice as gentle as his hands.

“You’re way too hard on yourself. It happened, I forgave you, now let’s move on. Both of us. I enjoy my time with you. Especially on your good days when you’re nothing but smiles. It’s good to see you carefree every once in a while.”

“I never would be without you,” Will sobbed, giving Nico a smile.

Nico smiled back, and the bow string tightened even more. It was fragile by now.

“For our next review, we’ll take a closer look at orphanages and worker houses. I will suggest to tear down the worker houses. I see no point to them. I’d rather have them be community centres for people with no homes yet till they can sustain themselves.”

“That sounds really amazing, Nico.”

Nico chuckled. “You’re going to help me, right? No one knows the system better than someone who lived it.”

“I’d be honoured, Your Highness.”

Nico gave him a playful chat. “I told you. No more formalities.”

Will giggle-gurgled. “Sorry.”

Nico leaned closer to get the last of his tears. “No more apologies either,” he said. His voice so soft and full of something Will couldn’t place.

Then, the bowstring snapped, and Nico kissed Will, and Will held him close to never lose the feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	19. Succession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.

Nico didn’t sleep well that night. He shifted and stirred, the moon shining through the thin curtains. The kiss lingered on his lips, as though it was fresh and not something that happened hours ago. He wasn’t sure what to do about it. Will was easily one of the people Nico trusted most in this castle—he might even be on top of that list.

He turned with a frustrated groan, touching his lips. If he didn’t have his duties to take care of, and the fusion of two Kingdoms resting on his and Reyna’s shoulders, maybe… he shook his head. Thinking about things he could have had if he was an ordinary person wouldn’t do him any good.

It wouldn’t do him any good to think about how he could have kept kissing Will. How he could have run his hands through the blond hair, and get lost in a safe embrace. He shouldn’t fantasise about it, because it would only make him hurt, and still, his thoughts seemed to be set on one thing, and one thing only. Will Solace and his growing happiness, getting friends and getting along. Will Solace and his wind-chime laugh, and his ten-thousand-watt smile, and his careful hands, caressing Nico, taking hold of Nico, touching Nico. Touching. Touching. Touching.

His lips on Nico’s. Kissing, sucking, moaning as Nico touched him back in the moonlight. Under covers. In secret. Will, Will, Will.  
Nico moaned, not sure when he had started stroking himself, not wanting to stop anytime soon. It felt wrong, felt like using a vulnerable man for his own pleasures. Except, Will wasn’t so vulnerable anymore. He was more confident, and he teased, and they bantered, and shared secrets. So many secrets. Nico wanted it all. All of Will. All Will would allow him.

He came on his sheets, his breath laboured, then his lungs tied together, and he started crying. His chest hurt. His heart might have broken. Him and Will could never be anything, other than a secret, and Will deserved so much better than that after everything he’d been through.

If they were ordinary people, maybe they could be something, but they weren’t. Nico was angry at himself for even entertaining the idea. He got up from his sheets, ripping them off and tossing them into his private bathtub. He filled it with water, washed his bedsheets and himself, then he dressed in all-black. Something that would hide him in the night if he hid away from the light of the moon.

He tugged on hiking boots and a warm jacket, then scurried out the window via a pipe going up the castle. Him and Will often did this when they went out at night together, but Nico had never showed his emergency escape to anyone else in the castle; not even Hazel.

The ground was frozen over from December’s cold, but at least it hadn’t snowed yet. If it had, dressing in black would have been a foolish thing to do. White was much better for snowy weather. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and drew his shoulders up to his ears, already regretting not bringing gloves and a beanie with him. He let his feet carry him, trying to empty his mind of the indecent thoughts he let himself get pleased by.

He went across the large garden, pats the hedge maze, to the iron fence leading into the graveyard. The guards on duty said nothing to him as he entered, which he was grateful for. There were a few guards patrolling inside the graveyard itself, and though they eyed Nico, they too remained silent. He found his ways through the winding graves of his ancestors until he ended up by his family’s graves. The empty lots waiting for him and his father to die, the lot with the remains of his mother, and the lot that didn’t have the presumably-dead body of his sister.

He squatted by her grave and ran his fingers over the cold stone, feeling the letters of her name. Bianca di Angelo. In a way, Nico was starting to understand why she would run away. Even if she’d done it because she got mad about Persephone, the pressure of the Kingdom might also have been on her mind. Nico couldn’t help but think that, because now, more than ever, he could feel the pressure of the Kingdom on his shoulders. Their expectations for him and how he would rule like his father, or even better. Once they made the arrangement with Reyna public, those expectations would grow to unknown heights, because then there would be the pressure of two Kingdoms who both had certain ideas about what was best for their people, and he and Reyna would have to find a way to combine their wants and needs in a respectful way without overlooking anyone. Being fake-married, having real children. No wonder Reyna would rather travel as an ambassador figure. No wonder Bianca would run away. Nico was thinking about running as well. Running and never looking back. The thought of bringing Will with him crossed his mind, but he decided he shouldn’t do that if he decided to run. Will finally had friends, an education, and a decent home where he felt worthy of his life and identity.

“I might run,” he told the stone to get it off his chest, if nothing else.

“Where would you run to?”

Hazel’s voice made him jump and fall onto his buttocks. He looked back at her with a scow as she tried—and failed—to hide a laugh.

“Hazel! You scared the daylight out of me.”

She squatted next to him. “I was looking out my window, because I wanted to see the moon. Also, I heard there might fall snow tonight, and I didn’t want to miss it. Imagine my surprise when I saw a black figure running across the garden, headed for the graveyard. I had to sneak after you. Anything else would be irresponsible of me.”  
Nico scowled at her. “I see. So you heard me mumble to Bianca.”

“I did.” They sat in silence, looking at Bianca’s headstone. A gust of wind passed them, and Hazel huddled closer to Nico to not freeze. “Will you really do it?”

“Do what?” Nico asked, putting an arm around her to get more heat.

“Run away.”

Nico considered the night. The guards patrolling the graveyard, the moon shining down on them, illuminating the ground and barren trees. Hazel next to him. He shrugged. “I doubt it. It was just the pressure of the Kingdom talking, really.”

“The pressure of the Kingdom hasn’t made you threaten to leave before.”

“Yeah, well…” Nico poked at the rock-hard ground. “I wasn’t in love until now.”

Hazel considered him quietly. She didn’t seem surprised, though. “Will?”

Nico looked into her eyes. “How did you know?”

“The way you act around each other, and how you talk about each other. It’s impossible not to notice if you have functioning eyes.”

Nico chuckled. “I suppose.” He picked at the ground, the cold biting at his skin and nails. “We kissed some time before dinner, yesterday.”

Hazel laughed and fanned herself. “I’m glad to hear you’re making progress.”

“This isn’t good Hazel!” Nico accidentally snapped. “It’s the opposite of good. I can’t marry a man, since the Kingdom requires offspring to thrive and survive. Who’s going to take over after I die of old age? No one.”

“Nico.” Hazel took a hold of his shoulder.

“What?” he spat.

She let out a sigh. “I think you need to talk to Hades about this. About your preferences for partners, and see if you can’t find a solution together. I’m sure there must be something.”

“Yeah. Maybe disowning me.”

“Nico!” Hazel scolded. “Hades would never disown you! He cares about you. He may not be showing it in the typical way, but he does. Anyone who knows him can tell. Even if he seems detached, he cares about us Nico.”

Nico leaned into Hazel, sighing and allowing the tears run down his cheeks. They were warm to start with, but quickly turned cold because of the weather.

She held him closer, and Nico allowed her, holding onto her. In a way, he felt idiotic. He was the older of the two, even if it was just by a year. He should be the one doing these kinds of things. Convincing her everything was all right and comfort her when she got sad. He dried his eyes, hugging himself in the chilly wind. Snow started falling silently onto the ground, and Hazel looked up with a joyous smile on her face. Nico couldn’t help but smile as well.

“We should probably head inside soon,” he said. “Wouldn’t want to catch a cold.”

Hazel nodded and let out a hum. “Let’s just stay for a while first.”

So they stayed and watched the snow fall, not talking to each other, and Nico decided he should take Hazel’s advice. Despite her young age, she still had this tendency to be right. Worst case scenario, Nico could run away. Maybe he’d find Bianca if he did.

* * *

The sun’s rays seemed nonexistent. Maybe because it was mid-December, and the skies were darker add greyer than usual. Nico woke, his limbs aching as though he’d run a marathon all night, and the back of his throat felt scratchy. This usually meant a cold was catching on, and if Nico didn’t want a cold for staying out all night, he’d have to see the castle’s doctor, which meant seeing Will. His face heated up by the thought. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to see Will again so soon, but he couldn’t very well avoid him, so he got dressed instead, breathing deeply before he stepped out of his room, standing as tall as he could. He walked the halls in the same brisk pace he usually would, and greeted the guards and cleaners by giving them an acknowledging nod. He went directly to the dining hall to hold off seeing Will for just a bit. He needed some more time to compose himself, and he wasn’t sure whether they should bring up the kiss or not. All Nico knew was, he had to talk to his father after getting some cold medicine, about guys and how he felt for them. Maybe it wasn’t too late to stop the planning between the two Kingdoms, even as time was inching closer.

Nico barely paid attention when he ate breakfast, chewing it down as delicately as possible while trying not to make eye contact with Will who sat just across of him. Will seemed to have had problems sleeping as well. He had bags under his eyes, and his hair looked matted. Nico helped carry dishes out into the kitchen, and went to his first class in world history. After his first class, he excused himself from the fencing to go see the doctor, and also face Will.

The office was painted a light yellow, which was warm and welcoming. Will and Asclepius were bent over some plants in a room off to the side, Asclepius quizzing Will about the different properties of the plants. Will seemed quite excited as he spoke, and even more so when he got it right. Nico couldn’t help but smile at him, but sadly he couldn’t stay here all day and admire Will working and learning.

He cleared his throat, and the doctor and his student turned around. Will’s face immediately flamed up in a blush which made it difficult for Nico not to blush as well.

“Pardon my intrusion,” Nico said, his voice oddly small. “I think I’ve caught a throat bug over the night, and I would very much like something to fight off a potential cold, if you have anything.”

Asclepius smiled. “Of course we do. Will?”

Will seemed to stiffen, but nodded regardless, and turned around with rigid movements, telling Nico to follow him into the plant room. Nico walked behind him, not missing Asclepius’ smile as they were suddenly isolated in the plant room, and even thought the door was open, and Nico knew they could be seen, he still felt shy about being here alone with Will.

“There’s this.” Will said, taking out a weird plant that looked almost identical to a few of the others, except for some of its colouring. “It has some juice inside it that can be squeezed out and mixed with water, to make for a good medicine. I will also take the liberty to mix a few drops of honey and lemon into your mix, and some ginger. You’re not allergic, are you?”

He didn’t meet Nico’s eyes, and Nico as grateful for it. He wasn’t sure he could stand seeing Will’s brilliant blue eyes after the kiss and his touching.

“I have no known allergies.” Nico responded, twisting his the skull ring Bianca had given him ages ago.

“All right,” Will breathed, squeezing past Nico.

Will smelled like lemon and honey and antiseptics. Nico wanted to pull him back so he could hug him and smell him, which made him blush and scold himself. He was here for a cold remedy, not to get distracted by the guy he shared his first kiss with yesterday, even if that guy happened to be Will Solace, and wonderful, and many things Nico definitely wanted in a partner.

Will mixed the remedy while Nico and Asclepius watched. Asclepius kept shooting Nico and Will weird, knowing smirks. Nico decided to ignore him, not that that was easy, but he did his best.

Will returned shortly with a shot glass containing a light lime-coloured drink. “It would be best if you could chug it all at once.” Will informed. “Try not to smell it.”

Nico obliged and drank the medicine in one swing. It wasn’t exactly bad, but it wasn’t amazing either. It seemed to burn oddly against his throat and heating up his chest. Will watched him carefully, his cheeks still tinted red. Nico avoided his eyes when he gave him back the glass, and tried to ignore the prickling sensation when their fingers brushed.

“I… um. Thanks.” Nico turned on his heel and almost ran down the hall, feeling stupid and cowardly. One kiss and he couldn’t even look Will in the eye. His emotions kept wrestling with his duties and Hazel’s words.

His father’s office was down the next hall, and the closer Nico got, the heavier his legs seemed. His breathing was also getting laboured, and he wondered if maybe the medicine had made him worse in the span of only two minutes, though the logical part of him knew it was just nerves.

He came to a halt in front of the grand door, painted dark with golden details surrounding it. Two guards stood in front of the door, keeping an eye out; one of them was Frank. He seemed as nervous as Nico felt, and Nico wondered if it could have anything to do with those betrothal rumours spreading around the castle.

“Frank,” he nodded, hoping he sounded polite.

“Your Majesty,” Frank bowed, almost fumbling and falling.

Nico gave him a smile and opened the door before either guard could protest. Inside were only a few people; Hades, Persephone, four of their most trusted guards, and Hazel. As Nico expected, Hades, Persephone, and Hazel were talking about Hazel’s and Frank’s betrothal, and arrangements to train him in the arts of ruling a Kingdom, or at least represent it. They looked up when Nico entered, Hazel with a smile, Hades with a scowl. Persephone seemed curious, but not otherwise displeased.

“Are you not supposed to be at sword practice?” Hades asked him.

“I think I got a bit of a cold during the night, so I went to the doctor’s instead to get some medicine, and then I came here, hoping to find you so we might talk.” He considered his sister, step-mother, and the guards. “In private.”

Hades quirked an eyebrow and looked at everyone in the room. “If you have the time to come and disturb us, you will have to speak in everyone’s presence.”

Nico scowled, not surprised. Hades was ruthless at times; it was how his Kingdom thrived so well. “Very well,” he said, knowing he couldn’t change his father’s mind. He pulled out a chair and sat down.

Hades looked at him expectantly. “Well?”

Nico raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you rather finish talking about Hazel and Frank’s betrothal first?”

“We’re almost done. Now tell me, what do you need to talk to me about? Is it the arrangement with Reyna again? We do still need to work out a few details after all.”

Nico’s body tensed and he started playing with the skull ring on his finger. “It is, but it is also not.” He waited for Hades to say something, but his father was dead-silent, looking at him with the eyes of a true King. “I…” this was ridiculous. There was no reason to be _this_ nervous, or feel so small. Nico was almost seventeen! “I think, we should stop the arrangement.”

“Pardon?!” Hades stood up, his body rigid with anger.

“Please, hear me out, Father.” Hades sat down and Nico took a deep breath. “I think we should stop, because it will do no good to the Kingdoms. Reyna and I do not like each other in that way. We think more of each other as siblings. I am sure, even without a marriage, the Kingdoms can start some wonderful treaties, but I should stop lying to myself and my Kingdom before this blows out of proportions and is made public. You see, Father.” Nico looked down, took a breath, then met his father’s eyes. Hades had always told him how important proper eye contact was. “My romantic affiliation lies with men. I can never love a woman, so marrying one for the sake of heirs and the Kingdom, while I understand its importance, is not something I can do. I will not allow myself, and someone else, to spend the rest of our lives pretending to be happy. If we cannot rule together, because of unhappiness, the Kingdom will fall regardless.” Hades opened his mouth to speak, but Nico held up a hand. “I _am_ sorry, Father. But I do think it’s high time I tell you the truth. I cannot marry a woman, so I will not. It is what is best for this Kingdom.”

Hades considered him, his shoulder relaxing, his eyes growing softer. “I wish you would have told me earlier.” This surprised Nico. “If I had known you felt this way, I would have helped you be happy. I believe all children deserve happiness in this Kingdom, including my own.” He glanced at Hazel as he said that, and Nico knew as well as her, it was Hades’ way of saying he thought of her as his own. Hazel smiled with tears in her eyes. “I will inform the other Kingdom.”

“Please,” Nico said. “Allow me. Reyna knows of my romantic affiliations. I will send her a letter directly, for her to share with the Kingdom. I will take full responsibility.”

“Still,” Hades breathed. “With no heirs, this Kingdom may crumble eventually.”

“Frank and I can provide heirs,” Hazel said, her dark skin growing even darker as she blushed.

Nico looked at her, biting his lips to not laugh at her disposition. He could leap to his feet and hug her.

“If you do that,” Hades said, “you do realise we may have to change the order of succession.”

“Change the order of succession?” Nico asked.

Hades nodded. “Hazel will be the next ruler, Frank ruling by her side, while you and whichever man you decide to be with will hold the ambassador roles.”

“No,” Nico said. “I can’t allow Hazel to take on this responsibility.”

“I can speak for myself,” Hazel snapped, her lips perked. “I was supposed to be a Queen in my own Kingdom. I lack no training. I have nothing against this change. I am sure Frank will not object either.”

“Then it is decided,” Hades said, before Nico could open his mouth again. “The order of succession has been changed. Nico, in your letter, make sure to ask Reyna for a reply. Once we have that, once we have settled all our prior affairs, I shall make Hazel’s rise to succession public.”

Nico wanted to protest, but Hazel elbowed him with a fierce look. “If you are sure,” he said to her. She nodded. “Very well. I shall step down and leave the throne to Hazel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


	20. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.  
> A/N: Thanks for your patience with this story. I hope you liked it, regardless of the time I took to finish it.

Will Solace counted his blessings.

Sure, he was an orphan whose parents might be dead at this point, but he was also, somehow, boyfriends with former Crown Prince Nico di Angelo. Not just that, but he was Nico’s private doctor, and partner in ambassador business. He lived in the big castle where he’d made friends with almost all the staff, and Nico’s family. Even though he wished Nico could meet his parents, talking about them was enough for now. Because Will Solace had something he hadn’t had in a long time. He had love, and freedom, and felt like a person. He had humour, and banter, and kisses throughout the day.

Sometimes he’d wake up in the nights still, scared he might have dreamed it all up, only to find himself in the spacious castle room, looking out onto the field, onto the hedge maze where he first bumped into Nico two years ago. When he saw it, he couldn’t help but smile, and look up at the stars, wondering where the Star Realm was, and whispering a silent thank to his fairy, Shine.

Will had things he had wanted for a long time, and all the freedom he could dream of when he was off duty. On those days, he would take Chastity on a ride into town, searching out Hermes to chat with him again and thank him for those mornings where he came and made Will’s day a little more bearable.

There were still questions he hadn’t managed to find the answer to: Where his parents were, why his step family decided to treat him so foul, but Will Solace counted his blessings.

* * *

Nico di Angelo, on the other hand, used to be The Crown Prince, destined to rule the Kingdom once his father passed away. He thought he was doomed to the expectations and duties of marrying a woman for the sake of the Kingdom, and live his life unhappily, the only happiness and idea of love coming from kissing guards in secret. He used to fear ruining his friendship with Reyna due to their arrangement, and instead, he caused a bit of friction between the Kingdoms when he backed out of the arrangements, which was quickly smoothed out by him and Reyna together.

Even better than that, Hades would have allowed this even if he were still to be the next successor. Instead, Hazel had taken his place from him, and he was forever grateful for her. He could tell already her and Frank would make good and just rulers. They invited Nico and Will to all their meetings, and had them help out with important decisions. He and Will went out as ambassadors, changing the rules of the Worker Houses to be housing places and offer work actvation for the homeless for up to three years. They created more jobs in cooperation with Reyna’s Kingdom, and followed up on all the adopted children to see if they had a decent life. They rode from collective to collective, advertising the new, improved Worker Houses. The collectives were to change into these same Worker Houses over the years.

They hadn’t found Will’s parents yet, and they hadn’t found Bianca yet. But maybe, one day, they might. And maybe, they might not. Nico figured he shouldn’t be too hung up about it, since he helped rule a Kingdom. Instead, he would take a page from Will’s book, and focus on the good things in his life.

He had a boyfriend, a loving sister and brother-in-law, an understanding father, and an encouraging step-mother. All in all, Nico considered himself quite happy in this moment.

* * *

So, you see, maybe, if the stars had aligned differently, and life had handed them another deck of cards, these two strangers from vastly different backgrounds might not have met. Might never had known the other existed.

Maybe, Will Solace would live in a small, crumbling house with his parents, working as a shoe-shiner to help earn money for the family, and snuggle close to his parents at night while they told him stories and showed him love.

Maybe, Nico di Angelo would tease Bianca's husband-to-be, and be her flower boy, her right hand, her best friend. Maybe, he would be able to sneak off with one of the other boys and steal forbidden kisses in the dark nights, and be almost happy because he knew some form of love.

But, life had a way of shaping itself around you without your permission, and so, Will Solace found himself in a relationship with a former Crown Prince turned ambassador, and a doctor-in-training of the castle, and Nico di Angelo found himself the ambassador, and adviser of a Queen who shouldn’t even have ruled this Kingdom, in a relationship with the most wonderful young man he had yet to meet, truly, truly happy because he knew genuine love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.  
> ~*~TippierCoffee~*~


End file.
